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3 Reasons Jeff Teague should remain the starting point guard (and 2 reasons he shouldn’t)

By Justin Pinotti

Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)Getty ID: 876911676
Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)Getty ID: 876911676 /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 13: Tyus Jones #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves brings the ball up court during their game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 13, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 13: Tyus Jones #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves brings the ball up court during their game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 13, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

2) Tyus Jones should be the Wolves starting point guard…because he’s actually a better defensive player than Teague. 

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Teague has been better on defense than he’s given credit for. He’s pretty good at getting steals, blocks and rebounds for a point guard, but he does struggle to deny penetration on the pick and roll, fighting through screens and occasionally gets lost in help defense.

Also, his Defensive Real Plus-Minus is a very respectable -.10. While not showing elite defensive impact, does represent Teague in a similar ballpark as point guards who are often seen as good defensively, such as Ricky Rubio (-.03), Jrue Holiday (-.01) and Kyle Lowry (-..03). Much like on offense, I think the backlash Teague receives is a little more due to the occasional lapse than the fact he’s completely abhorrent throughout the entire game.

Tyus is somewhat similar actually. He’s very good at getting those defensive “show me” stats, but has trouble denying penetration himself. The big difference with Tyus is he plays a brand of basketball that is a lot more alert in off-ball settings than Teague. Going by the same Defensive Real Plus-Minus stat, Tyus is the 17th best point guard (Teague 29th) and is a positive defensive contributor overall at +.04.

You can beat Tyus, but he’s not gonna beat himself. That’s not the sexiest defensive player ever, but you could have a decent-enough defense with 5 guys like Tyus. One of the big issues thee Wolves have defensively is, in my opinion, Karl Towns is playing completely terrible defense right now and is impressively out of position on many possessions. This means that everyone else has to be that much more on their game. While I do think Teague is a better defensive player than he’s given credit for, someone who is prone to the occasional brain-fart is going to stand out more when your center is out of position (and sometimes apathetic). So I do think Tyus is a better defensive player, especially when factoring in our defensive issues as a team.

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