Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons why Jeff Teague is a nice fallback option由那么爱呢_ 发表在翻译团招工部 https://bbs.hupu.com/fyt-store
Jeff Teague is a great option to consider if the Los Angeles Lakers strike out on a trade.
At age 35, LeBron James is the greatest basketball player in the world, as he just earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP award for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA world championship.
However, the Akron, Ohio native is just two months away from turning 36, and he has perhaps more mileage on him than any NBA player of that age has ever had.
He needs help so that he can reduce his responsibilities a bit during the regular season, so that come playoff time, he can continue to play like prime LeBron James for perhaps a few more years.
Rumors are swirling that the Lakers are interested in trading for Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and perhaps Victor Oladipo.
All three of those guys are risky options, as they have a history of injuries. Oladipo, in particular, suffered a devastating knee injury less than two years ago and still hasn’t returned to form.
If L.A. fails to trade for a player like that who will remain healthy and get the job done, how about a much less heralded option?
That’s who Jeff Teague is.
Although he’s been a very good player for many years, no one is talking about him being an option for the Lakers.
Why would Jeff Teague be a nice fall-back option for the Purple and Gold?
5. Jeff Teague can score
With James creeping up there in age and mileage, he can’t and shouldn’t be called upon to score 25-30 points every night, especially in the middle of the season when physical and mental fatigue is a factor.
Teague has always been an adept scorer. He has a career average of 12.6 points a game, and even though that sounds weak, it has come in 27.5 minutes per game.
His per-36 career scoring average, on the other hand, is 16.4, which is very solid.
Teague has always been known as a pretty explosive player in terms of speed, which allows him to penetrate and get to the rim. He’s pretty good at drawing fouls, and with a career average of 84.4 percent from the charity stripe, he can improve one of the Lakers’ biggest weaknesses.
Teague’s speed makes him a threat to push the ball and attack in transition, which makes him a nice fit for a fast-break team like the Lakers.
He’s not the greatest 3-point shooter in the world, but his career average of 35.6 percent from downtown is respectable. This past season he made 36.8 percent of his treys, which is above-average.
4. Jeff Teague can pass and hit the open man
When it comes to reducing his workload, James not only needs help with scoring and bringing the ball upcourt, but he also needs someone else who can be a floor general and get the ball where it needs to go.
Teague can do that.
In his 11 NBA seasons, he has a career average of 5.8 assists per game. He has put up at least seven dimes a game in five of his NBA seasons.
In fact, when you look at his per-36 average, it gets even better, as he has averaged 7.6 assists a game.
With a lifetime average of 2.3 turnovers a game, Teague also does a solid job of protecting the ball and minimizing mistakes.
Bringing the ball upcourt and setting up the offense takes a lot out of you, especially when you have tons of mileage on you as James does. Being able to share those duties with a player like Teague would really help reduce the wear and tear on James as the season wears on.
3. Jeff Teague will be easier to get than other point guards, especially Chris Paul
Many Lakers fans are dreaming of a legit Big 3 with the addition of Chris Paul. While it’s very tempting for most (including myself), he comes with significant risks.
Besides his injury history, he’s owed over $40 million next season, which means the Lakers would have to almost gut their team for him.
In addition, other teams, such as the Milwaukee Bucks and perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers, will have better trade assets to offer the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul.
Teague, on the other hand, will be a free agent once free agency starts this offseason. That means the Lakers could simply sign him, instead of having to compete against other suitors with their limited trade assets.
Also, the Lakers can use their assets to go after someone else, such as a 3-and-D wing or an instant offense guy off the bench.
At the end of the day, do you really think it’s wise to take on a $40 million a year contract to get a guy who’s a great player but not a superstar, who will turn 36 next season and can start declining precipitously at any time?
Teague may not be as good a player as Paul, but he can bring the Lakers enough of what they need at the guard spot to repeat as NBA champs.
2. The market for Jeff Teague may not be that strong
Adding to the relative ease of the Los Angeles Lakers being able to sign Teague is the fact that the rest of the market for him may not be formidable.
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the salary cap for the 2020-21 season may not increase, and therefore teams may not have as much money to spend this offseason.
In addition, the 2021 and 2022 offseasons could be huge, with stars such as Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Bradley Beal being available. Therefore, teams may not even want to spend money in order to save up for next year and the year after.
Given all that, it seems less likely that another team may be willing to shell out big bucks for Teague.
If the Lakers are under the luxury tax apron, they should have the full mid-level exception available, which is expected to be nearly $10 million. That may be enough to entice Teague to sign, especially if he will prioritize winning a championship over big bucks.
The Lakers would also have their bi-annual exception available, which could be at or close to $4 million. If by a stroke of good fortune, Teague is willing to sign for that little (which seems unlikely, but who knows), it would free up the MLE to spend on other players.
1. Jeff Teague has playoff experience
Teague is 32 years of age now, and while he’s not exactly old, he does have plenty of experience in the playoffs.
In each of his first nine seasons in the league, his team made it to the postseason, and he got as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015.
During the 2018 NBA Finals, James talked about his need and desire to play with smart, heady veterans who not only have experience but also resourcefulness.
Teague would fit that need, as he’s appeared in 71 postseason games over the years.
In those 2015 Eastern Conference Finals against James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, Teague’s Hawks may have gotten swept, but Teague played well, averaging 21.5 points a game.
If he becomes a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, he won’t exactly be afraid of the big moments.
Jeff Teague is a great option to consider if the Los Angeles Lakers strike out on a trade.
At age 35, LeBron James is the greatest basketball player in the world, as he just earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP award for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA world championship.
However, the Akron, Ohio native is just two months away from turning 36, and he has perhaps more mileage on him than any NBA player of that age has ever had.
He needs help so that he can reduce his responsibilities a bit during the regular season, so that come playoff time, he can continue to play like prime LeBron James for perhaps a few more years.
Rumors are swirling that the Lakers are interested in trading for Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and perhaps Victor Oladipo.
All three of those guys are risky options, as they have a history of injuries. Oladipo, in particular, suffered a devastating knee injury less than two years ago and still hasn’t returned to form.
If L.A. fails to trade for a player like that who will remain healthy and get the job done, how about a much less heralded option?
That’s who Jeff Teague is.
Although he’s been a very good player for many years, no one is talking about him being an option for the Lakers.
Why would Jeff Teague be a nice fall-back option for the Purple and Gold?
5. Jeff Teague can score
With James creeping up there in age and mileage, he can’t and shouldn’t be called upon to score 25-30 points every night, especially in the middle of the season when physical and mental fatigue is a factor.
Teague has always been an adept scorer. He has a career average of 12.6 points a game, and even though that sounds weak, it has come in 27.5 minutes per game.
His per-36 career scoring average, on the other hand, is 16.4, which is very solid.
Teague has always been known as a pretty explosive player in terms of speed, which allows him to penetrate and get to the rim. He’s pretty good at drawing fouls, and with a career average of 84.4 percent from the charity stripe, he can improve one of the Lakers’ biggest weaknesses.
Teague’s speed makes him a threat to push the ball and attack in transition, which makes him a nice fit for a fast-break team like the Lakers.
He’s not the greatest 3-point shooter in the world, but his career average of 35.6 percent from downtown is respectable. This past season he made 36.8 percent of his treys, which is above-average.
4. Jeff Teague can pass and hit the open man
When it comes to reducing his workload, James not only needs help with scoring and bringing the ball upcourt, but he also needs someone else who can be a floor general and get the ball where it needs to go.
Teague can do that.
In his 11 NBA seasons, he has a career average of 5.8 assists per game. He has put up at least seven dimes a game in five of his NBA seasons.
In fact, when you look at his per-36 average, it gets even better, as he has averaged 7.6 assists a game.
With a lifetime average of 2.3 turnovers a game, Teague also does a solid job of protecting the ball and minimizing mistakes.
Bringing the ball upcourt and setting up the offense takes a lot out of you, especially when you have tons of mileage on you as James does. Being able to share those duties with a player like Teague would really help reduce the wear and tear on James as the season wears on.
3. Jeff Teague will be easier to get than other point guards, especially Chris Paul
Many Lakers fans are dreaming of a legit Big 3 with the addition of Chris Paul. While it’s very tempting for most (including myself), he comes with significant risks.
Besides his injury history, he’s owed over $40 million next season, which means the Lakers would have to almost gut their team for him.
In addition, other teams, such as the Milwaukee Bucks and perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers, will have better trade assets to offer the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul.
Teague, on the other hand, will be a free agent once free agency starts this offseason. That means the Lakers could simply sign him, instead of having to compete against other suitors with their limited trade assets.
Also, the Lakers can use their assets to go after someone else, such as a 3-and-D wing or an instant offense guy off the bench.
At the end of the day, do you really think it’s wise to take on a $40 million a year contract to get a guy who’s a great player but not a superstar, who will turn 36 next season and can start declining precipitously at any time?
Teague may not be as good a player as Paul, but he can bring the Lakers enough of what they need at the guard spot to repeat as NBA champs.
2. The market for Jeff Teague may not be that strong
Adding to the relative ease of the Los Angeles Lakers being able to sign Teague is the fact that the rest of the market for him may not be formidable.
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the salary cap for the 2020-21 season may not increase, and therefore teams may not have as much money to spend this offseason.
In addition, the 2021 and 2022 offseasons could be huge, with stars such as Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Bradley Beal being available. Therefore, teams may not even want to spend money in order to save up for next year and the year after.
Given all that, it seems less likely that another team may be willing to shell out big bucks for Teague.
If the Lakers are under the luxury tax apron, they should have the full mid-level exception available, which is expected to be nearly $10 million. That may be enough to entice Teague to sign, especially if he will prioritize winning a championship over big bucks.
The Lakers would also have their bi-annual exception available, which could be at or close to $4 million. If by a stroke of good fortune, Teague is willing to sign for that little (which seems unlikely, but who knows), it would free up the MLE to spend on other players.
1. Jeff Teague has playoff experience
Teague is 32 years of age now, and while he’s not exactly old, he does have plenty of experience in the playoffs.
In each of his first nine seasons in the league, his team made it to the postseason, and he got as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015.
During the 2018 NBA Finals, James talked about his need and desire to play with smart, heady veterans who not only have experience but also resourcefulness.
Teague would fit that need, as he’s appeared in 71 postseason games over the years.
In those 2015 Eastern Conference Finals against James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, Teague’s Hawks may have gotten swept, but Teague played well, averaging 21.5 points a game.
If he becomes a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, he won’t exactly be afraid of the big moments.
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