Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 replacements for Jeff Teague

1. Gary Payton II

Gary Payton II is the type of player Tom Thibodeau loves to love. He’s all hustle and defense all the time. Just like his father. Payton isn’t afraid to do the little things that help teams succeed and gives 100 percent effort all the time.

He recently had a stint with the Milwaukee Bucks who had signed him to a two-way contract. He spent most of his time with their NBA club, but was released when his 45 days was up. Over that time, he appeared in 12 games and averaged 2.5 points, 0.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds.

The numbers are as bad as they look, as Payton II is not a very good offensive player. He’s best served to hide in the corner and keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible.

But that’s not why Thibodeau and co. would go after him. He possesses above-average athleticism for someone at his position and isn’t afraid to go into the lane and yam on someone.

Defensively, he’ll pick up the opposing teams point guard 94 feet from the basket and make them work the entire time. He won’t stop until his team’s on offense and he’ll bother the heck out his opponent. He also knows his role and won’t try to do too much.

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If you put him on a second-unit with Crawford, Andrew Wiggins, Nemanja Bjelica and Gorgui Dieng, he’s bound to have a neutral impact. And that’s all you can ask for from a guy who’s likely to only see ten minutes a night.