Milwaukee Bucks: Breaking down Jeff Teague’s debut in win over Blazers

It’s safe to say that Jeff Teague has joined the Milwaukee Bucks at an ideal time.

In what’s been a whirlwind of a week, Teague landed with a Bucks team that suits Teague’s contending aspirations after having his time with the Boston Celtics get cut short on trade deadline day a little more than a week ago. And with his addition having been made official by the team Thursday, Teague was in uniform for the Bucks’ 127-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night.

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Playing over 13 minutes off the bench, Teague posted two points on 1-for-1 shooting, two assists as well as two blocks, a board and a turnover on the night.

Even with that said, there were a few basic things that Teague showed in his limited minutes that showcases the promise of how the 32-year-old can make an impact for a Bucks team that has its sights set on contending and making it out of the East.

As simple as the organization that Teague gave to the Bucks’ second unit in his first outing, it was very necessary as the team has been without a traditional floor general since shipping out D.J Augustin as part of the P.J. Tucker trade last month. And the veteran ball handler celebrated his Bucks debut by putting down a tough finish at the basket in the fourth quarter of the team’s double-digit victory.

Jeff Teague showed his defensive promise in his Milwaukee Bucks debut.

While there wasn’t much that Teague showed and surfaced in the stat sheet, the notable exception came on the defensive end. Teague’s disruptive defending and activity was best seen here when he sprinted to cut off the driving lane from the weak side and leapt out to dispatch the shot attempt from Blazers guard Norman Powell.

Teague followed that up with another highlight rejection, which further highlighted his defending from the weak side. As Brook Lopez showed hard to defending an oncoming Damian Lillard, Teague rotated in position to defend the rim, all of which helped him block the runner attempt from Lillard.

While much of the focus on Teague’s addition has centered around how he can set the pace offensively, Teague’s disruptive defending can offer something akin to what the Bucks got out of George Hill over the last couple of seasons.

Jeff Teague’s Milwaukee Bucks debut has been a long time coming

Bucks fans could make the argument that Teague’s Milwaukee debut comes nearly eight years after what many had hoped for. Of course, that references the fact that Teague had reportedly signed a four-year, $32 million offer sheet with the Bucks during his restricted free agency in the summer of 2013, which was subsequently matched by the Atlanta Hawks

Now having come to Milwaukee and reuniting with two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer, whom Teague emerged into an All-Star over their shared time in Atlanta, the stars have finally aligned for Teague to come to the Bucks. The Indianapolis native certainly agreed with that sentiment as he met with local media and reporters after the win Friday night for the first time since joining the Bucks.

"“Well, time’s changed a little bit from then (laughs). But I remember I was blessed to have the opportunity then and for them to take a chance on me. Definitely a totally different situation from back then, but happy to be here. I guess it was destiny.”"

Having only gotten his feet wet with what he will now offer to the Bucks, Teague will certainly look to grow on his first Bucks showing. After all these years, the timing has finally worked out for Teague to come to Milwaukee where he’ll be relied on ahead of their looming playoff push.