By all accounts, the Bulls were going to pick a shooter or wing player, maybe even a combo guard in the 2012 NBA Draft. Instead, they went with a more traditional point guard, Kentuckys Marquis Teague, with the 29th overall selection Thursday evening.
The 6-foot-2 Teague was the starting point guard on the NCAA champion Wildcats in his lone college season, averaging 10 points and 4.8 assists per game. While many observers describe his freshman-year performance as inconsistent, he certainly improved as the season waned on.
The younger brother of Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, the Indianapolis native is as an explosive athlete who thrives in an up-tempo setting, though his outside shooting is an area that could use improvement. Although Teague shares many physical attributesand a college coach, John Calipariwith Derrick Rose, its unlikely that hell be expected to step in as a starter.
But while the Bulls will pursue a veteran free-agent point guard, Teague was drafted with the idea that he could contribute as a rookie in mind. Teague wasnt necessarily the Bulls top targetaccording to a source, they had zeroed in on Vanderbilt sharpshooter John Jenkins, who ended up going 23rd to the Hawks, where hell play with Teagues brotherbut its reasonable to say that Teagues upside convinced them that his value was too much to pass up.
Whether Teague blossoms into a star or is a career rotation playerthe latter is the expectation for many of the other players who were still on the board at No. 29, such as his Kentucky teammate Doron Lamb, Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor and other rumored Bulls targetsremains to be seen, but the fact that with his athleticism alone, he helps the Bulls keeps up with upper-echelon teams like Miami and Oklahoma City in the NBAs arms race justifies his selection. As long as he isnt expected to emulate Rose, is put in position to use his strengths and works diligently to improve his weaknesses, theres no reason Teague cant be successful in Chicago.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.