Boston Celtics: Jeff Teague signing more valuable now with Walker out

With the news that Kemba Walker is expected to be out for the start of the regular season, Jeff Teague’s presence with the Boston Celtics will be that much more valuable.

The 2020 NBA offseason has not managed to shoot off the same amount of fireworks for the Boston Celtics that it did during 2019’s in-between season period, but the team has still found ways to bring on quality talent with sound value.

Signing the likes of Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague via free agency filled two highly important roles within this championship aspiring rotation — it brought on depth to the C’s center rotation and an upgrade at the backup point guard slot.

What’s proving more and more valuable as the days go by is the signing of Teague to be All-Star point guard, Kemba Walker‘s primary backup. Coming into the offseason, we at HH discussed the need for Boston to look to replace Brad Wanamaker in the rotation, and listed several talents that could fill said role.

A big reason for why we believed this should be a priority for Danny Ainge and co. was the lingering knee ailments that Walker has been experiencing since season’s end and the fact that, while Wanamaker showed flashes of serviceability, it was evident he did not have the tools necessary to properly run this team.

Now, with reports surfacing that the All-NBA talent is expected to be out until ‘at least’ early January, this priority has proven to be vital and, luckily, the team nabbed Teague — a player we oft listed as a potential replacement at backup point guard.

To this day, our reasoning remains the same as to why we believe him to be such a valuable commodity for the Boston Celtics squad:

"Still a productive player in the league, during the 2019-20 season he averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 assists, and just shy of a steal per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from deep.Though no longer the All-Star he once was, the veteran has made a name for himself as a player who can create for his own on offense as well as for others via his playmaking skills and has proven capable of successfully taking command of an offense.Adding him to this Boston Celtics squad for next season would provide them with a fantastic second unit primary ball-handler who, if asked, has shown to still have the capability of stepping into a starting role and producing admirably — averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 assists, and a steal per game on 38 percent shooting from deep in 17 starts last year."

While losing Walker for an extended period of time is certainly not ideal, Jeff Teague is that savvy veteran who has proven to still be capable of stepping in as a team’s starter and, in turn, produce admirably.

Don’t worry Boston Celtics fans, Teague should prove to be a fine filler within the starting rotation until Kemba comes back.