A lot of NBA players would be reluctant to give up their starting position, but that's exactly what Timberwolves point guard Jeff Teague is doing in order to help Andrew Wiggins' development.
Teague missed some time earlier this season due to an illness. He came off the bench in his first game back — a 129-114 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Jarrett Culver started in his place, and Wiggins took the reigns at point guard.
The experiment worked, as Wiggins went on to score a team-high 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting (4-of-7 from beyond the arc), eight rebounds and seven assists. Off the bench, Teague added 18 points and six assists.
So, Teague thought this would be a good long-term idea:
“I just noticed it when we played San Antonio,” Teague said of Wiggins' play at point guard, via Zone Coverage. “I’m like, ‘wow, that kinda worked.’ So I was like, shit, we was going through a little struggle, maybe a little switch-up could give us a little spark.”
In the following days, Teague began discussing the possibility of Wiggins playing at point guard more often with Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders. The two came to a conclusion: Jarrett Culver would assume a starting role, while Teague would serve as a backup point guard. The rationale behind this idea is to let Wiggins flourish:
“(Wiggins) was playing so great at that time,” Teague said. “(He was) running the point and doing things like that, and I just wanted him to get back to that place that he was in.”
Saunders says Teague handled this transition with class. In the end, the 31-year-old ball handler just wants to win:
“We just talked about where he was comfortable,” said Saunders of his conversations with Teague. “He said: ‘Hey, I just want to win, man. I’m good with whatever role you want me in.’ I can’t say enough positive things about that interaction and how he handled that.”
Wiggins is posting the best statistical figures of his career. In his 14 appearances this season, the former No. 1 overall pick has racked up averages of 25.2 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field (34.0 percent from beyond the arc), 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in 34.9 minutes per outing.
Teague knows he'll still get plenty of playing time:
“I still get the chance to play significant minutes,” Teague said. “Starter or not, I just want Wigs and those guys to get a chance to be aggressive at the beginning of the game, let them play with that sense of urgency.”
The Timberwolves improved to 9-8 with Monday's 125-113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. They'll look to keep their momentum rolling on Wednesday night, when they'll face off against the Spurs in San Antonio.
Follow Us
Subscribe