The NBA season is barely a week old but it’s never too early to check in on how new Timberwolves point guard Jeff Teague is performing compared to Ricky Rubio in his first year with the Jazz.
As you can see in the table below, Teague is committing fewer turnovers and shooting a better percentage from 3 and at the free-throw line, but Rubio has him in nearly every other category.
Another win for Rubio is that he helped the Jazz hold MVP Russell Westbrook to 6 points on 2-of-11 shooting. The very next night Westbrook tagged the Wolves for 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting.
There’s also this…
Elite help defense and awareness of your guy by Teague here… #Wolves pic.twitter.com/juunHp0e9a
— Nate Tykwinski (@natetykwinski) October 25, 2017
In terms of free throws, Rubio is consistently getting to the line. Teague had 17 free-throw attempts in the first three games but failed to get to the line in losses to the Pacers and Pistons this week.
Rubio was a way bigger factor in the lone meeting between the Jazz and Wolves this season. Minnesota won, but Teague didn’t stuff the stat sheet like Rubio.
- Teague: 10 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 4-of-4 free throws
- Rubio: 19 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 10-of-11 free throws
Through five games, both teams are 2-3, but Rubio has clearly made a better first impression with his new team.
Note: Rubio will look a lot better to Utah fans once he cuts down on his turnovers. He had seven turnovers in a loss to the hapless Phoenix Suns earlier this week.
