Where are they now? Checking in on a few recent Indiana Pacers departures
By Ben Gibson
Jeff Teague — Minnesota Timberwolves
Let’s get it out of the way: Was it worth trading George Hill for Jeff Teague? Probably not. Indiana gave up a player who might have stayed with the Pacers for the rest of his career for a guy who played one season and left when it was clear the Pacers were retooling. Hill has injury concerns, but depending on his salary — maybe he takes a discount to stay — but with the power of hindsight, the Teague trade wasn’t the most prudent of moves.
But we’ll talk more about George Hill later.
Another question for Indiana is whether Darren Collison is a better fit for the Pacers than Teague.
While Teague’s scoring and assists are down in Minnesota as compared to his time with the Pacers, playing with a guard like Jimmy Butler explains the modest drops. His shooting is as good as it’s ever been, so it isn’t as if he’s in decline.
A few months ago it would have been hard to argue that Collison is bette than Teague, but as far as fit goes, DC has been a better option for Indiana.
| Season | Tm | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | IND | 32.4 | 4.9 | 11.1 | .442 | 1.1 | 3.1 | .357 | .492 | .867 | 4.0 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 15.3 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 33.1 | 4.8 | 10.8 | .440 | 1.1 | 3.1 | .373 | .493 | .812 | 2.9 | 7.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 12.9 |
| 1 season | IND | 32.4 | 4.9 | 11.1 | .442 | 1.1 | 3.1 | .357 | .492 | .867 | 4.0 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 15.3 |
| 1 season | MIN | 33.1 | 4.8 | 10.8 | .440 | 1.1 | 3.1 | .373 | .493 | .812 | 2.9 | 7.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 12.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/15/2018.
Teague racks up more assists compared to Collison, but he also averages more turnovers per a game. Collison is near the top of the NBA in terms of assist to turnover ratio. The Timberwolves point guard also takes more shots than Collison to score the same amount of points.
Teague does more, but if he shared the court with Victor Oladipo, one of their games would take a hit. Indiana is getting what they need from Collison. When the ball is in his hands, the assists pile up and the turnovers are kept down.
But if Teague were still in Indiana, Oladipo’s renaissance wouldn’t be going as well. If not that, then Teague’s game would take a hit. The two probably could make it work, but the process wouldn’t have been as smooth.
Whether or not they had a choice, the Pacers got it right by not chasing Teague on his way out the door.
BONUS: Aaron Brooks also went to the Timberwolves this offseason. While was lightly used by the Pacers, it didn’t seem right leaving him completely off this list.
However, his role in Minnesota is half of what it was in Indiana, which is to say he’s averaging 2 points and 0.7 assists in roughly 6 minutes a game.
With Joe Young finding modest success this season, and the fact he’s shooting better and doing more than Brooks, it’s safe to say they aren’t missing the former Pacer.