Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory tonight vs. Indiana

Boston Celtics key No. 3) Jeff Teague

Coming into the season, we here at the Houdini were quite big on the likes of Jeff Teague donning the green and white threads.

Frankly, dating back to last season we were talking about how beneficial of an offensive producer the veteran point guard could be for the Boston Celtics coming off the bench, especially considering how putrid their second-unit scoring prowess was in 2019-20 — ranked 29th in points per game (28.5), 28th in 3-point percentage (31.8), and 20th in offensive rating (53.6).

During the preseason, we were right about how effective he could be on this team, as he averaged 11.5 points on 100 percent from 3. This high-level of play rolled right along into game one of the regular season against Milwaukee, as Teague went on to drop 19 points and four assists on a perfect 4-4 shooting from deep, helping the Cs attain the hard-fought victory.

Game two, however, the 32-year-old was nowhere to be found, as he went 0-5 from the field and finished the game with zero points and two assists in the team’s Christmas Day blowout.

We get it, at this stage in his career, Jeff Teague is no longer a star. That said, he is currently the best offensive talent the Cs have off the pine. Having him getting into a rhythm should only prove to be beneficial to the team, as he’d simply be another player on Boston that the Pacers’ defense will need to watch out for.

Having a strong bench can help in so many ways in the NBA. With Marcus Smart running the point in the starting lineup, it is up to the 11th year man to lead the way for the team’s second unit.