Atlanta Hawks’ Jeff Teague (0) drives against Portland Trail Blazers’ Steve Blake (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. (Greg Wahl-Stephens, The Associated Press)
Spotlight on… Jeff Teague, guard, Hawks
When: If there’s a game, Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague is starting and usually playing well. His efforts in the evaluation period of Dec. 27-Jan. 2 have earned him The Denver Post’s player of the week.
What’s up: In three games, all Hawks victories, Teague was all over the court, stuffing the stat box with averages of 24.7 points, 8.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Teague was as efficient as they come, taking just 14.7 shots per game to earn that 24.7-point average. He shot a sizzling 54.5 percent from the field. And his impact was huge when he was on the court. Teague was a plus-16 for the period.
Background: Teague recently missed three games because of a hamstring injury, but ever since his reintroduction into the Hawks’ lineup Dec. 23, he’s been lights out. The Hawks are one of the NBA’s best teams, a real contender for the Eastern Conference crown, and Teague is the biggest reason why. He gives them superstar production every night out.
Dempsey’s take: Ask anyone to name the top 10 point guards in the NBA, and Teague’s name would rarely, if ever, come up. But it should, because he is. Teague has flown under the radar in the past two seasons, despite being one of the best at his position. But the more the Hawks continue to win, the more Teague will continue to step out of relative anonymity and into the spotlight.
