2. Teague Would Be Another Scoring Option

The main offensive focal points for the Phoenix Suns are young with Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, DeAndre Ayton, and perhaps Josh Jackson and it would help to have a veteran guard that can score. While he may not be among the league leaders in scoring average, Jeff Teague has averaged 15.4 points during the regular season since 2012-13.

Teague has shown that he is an impactful scorer as an initiator in sequences like the pick-and-roll and isolation. He has also shown that he can be reliable when attacking within the flow of the game in areas like spot-up too. He would be able to exploit defenses that are putting too much of a focus on stopping Booker.

The only other player that scored a relatively high volume of points outside of Devin Booker’s average of 24.9 points last season was T.J. Warren, who averaged 19.6 points. Beyond those two players, the next highest scoring player on the Suns was Josh Jackson and he averaged 13.1 points. They could use a reliable scorer that can chip in 15 points if needed.

While rookies like Ayton and Bridges should help the team’s scoring capabilities, it’s important to be patient. As we saw with Jackson’s rookie season, it takes time to adjust to the NBA. While he finished the year strong, he is still developing as a player and there are plenty of ways for him to improve before becoming a finished product. 

While it would be nice for most of the Suns’ key young players to all produce as close to their immediate ceilings as scorers as possible, it’s not something that a team desiring to be a playoff team should rely on. Having a player like Jeff Teague in their supporting group to help boost the floor of their scoring production would be a smart move.

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