2012 NBA Draft: Marquis Teague.
Here at Beale Street Bears, we love our NBA. We watch it, we talk about it, we think about how it can be improved and everything in between.
I think this is the greatest moment in the history of the NBA, even surpassing Michael Jordan’s prime. Ratings have never been higher, revenue is up and people are invested in the outcomes.
On top of that, the Bulls were the bully in the 90’s, but they were the only one. The Knicks, Heat, Celtics, Pacers and Jazz all wanted to knock Chicago off, but that type of bad blood didn’t exist elsewhere. Celtics-Lakers was always a big rivalry, but both teams were pretty down in the 90’s as they sought to rebuild after their dizzying heights of the 1980’s (7 of the 10 world championships awarded in that era were awarded between the two.)
But now? There’s some genuine dislike, both for teams and players. The Bulls are still a contender, but so are Miami, Boston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Knicks.
Alright, the Knicks are only a contender in their own minds, but that’s still a lot of teams that can win the whole thing. That adds intrigue and suspense.
However, to get more good teams, you must have an influx of more good players. It seems simple, and it is. That’s where the draft comes in. Now, more than ever, teams rely on the draft to obtain cost-effective players to fill out their roster. Everyone wants an all-star on their team, right? How about an all-star still on his rookie deal making about $4 million? Is that something that you may be interested in? Of course it is.
In this space, we’re going to explore which prospects the Grizzlies may potentially be interested in with their first round pick at #25. We’ve covered the team’s needs here, but we will look at individual players that may be available late in the first round, regardless of position.
Today’s prospect is Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague.
Teague is a 6’2 freshman point guard from the National Champion Kentucky Wildcats. If you follow college basketball at all, you know by now that John Calipari is Kentucky’s head basketball coach. If you know anything about John Calipari, you know that he sends guards to the NBA like they’re coming off of an assembly line.
Of course we all know about Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall’s success in the NBA after playing for Calipari. Granted, they were all highly regarded recruits going into college and would have been one-and-done no matter who the coach was, but for whatever reason, Calipari has gained a lot of notoriety for those players’ success.
Of course, those three names are all-star type players, but Calipari has also been responsible for some other quality guards, as well. Eric Bledsoe played a big role in the Clippers’ winning a playoff series this year, Brandon Knight showed more than flashes this year for the Pistons and Chris Douglas-Roberts was also serviceable in his time.
The Grizzlies will be picking from that second group, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If they end up with the freshman point guard from the best team in college basketball, that’s a good thing, right?
Teague showed a lot of promise and willingness to play with Kentucky’s other two big stars in Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He sacrificed some shots and ran the team pretty efficiently for the most part.
In the Sweet 16 win against the Indiana Hoosiers, Teague had 14 points and 7 assists as Kentucky got redemption for one of their only two losses all season.
For the Grizzlies, Teague would back up starter Mike Conley Jr., and maybe even assume some of the bench scoring role in the event that O.J. Mayo moves on after the season.
Like most young players, Teague struggles with his jump shot, but it’s not broken. With enough work, it can be salvaged.
Teague would be a Godsend for Memphis at #25, but I’m not sure that he’ll be available at that point. If he is, I think that’s the Grizzlies’ pick as he could play either guard position and provide great value for Memphis late in the first round.