Why the Indiana Pacers Won Seven Straight, And Why They Can Win Tonight
By Ben Gibson
Jeff Teague is in All-Star Form
Jeff Teague is seventh in the NBA with 8.1 assists per a game. Not too shabby, but in this streak, that’s bumped up to 8.9, good for sixth place.
This trend with increasing assists is something that’s been happening all season, but the uptick in numbers are just a sign that he is playing slightly better during this stretch.
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Teague’s scoring has jumped from 15.8 to 17.3 points a game, and he is doing that on fewer shots a game than he has on the season. It doesn’t hurt that he is making 42.9% of his 3-pointers either. His main job is to distribute the ball, but he still finds plenty of time to rack up points.
Here is what our own Josh Padmore had to say about Teague on Monday.
"In January, Teague averaged 16.3 points per game on 54.8% shooting from the field and 46.7% shooting from three-point land. He also averaged 5 rebounds per game and a massive 9.8 assists per game. Those numbers are really impressive. Especially the efficiency, considering how poorly Teague started the season. More from Teague in January: He handed out at least 7 assists in every single game during that month, including five in which he posted 10+ assists. Teague came close to recording a triple-double several times during January. Teague has helped himself, but more importantly, he’s helped his team. The Pacers averaged 110.8 points per game in January. When you score that many points, you have a good chance at winning. Everyone on the Pacers plays better when Teague is at his best."
He is a big reason why the Pacers have a 108.1 offensive rating, which if the Pacers played that way all season, would be their highest since 2009 according to Basketball-Reference.
Teague was brought in to improve the offense, and so far they are three points better than they were a year ago. Debate who won the Hill-Teague trade all you want, but Teague is making Indiana a better team on offense.