Marquis Teague impresses in summer league opener for Bulls – NBA News
As Marquis Teague took the court for the first time as a member of the Chicago Bulls, he admitted the anxiousness. Even though Teague played with the Kentucky team alongside number 1 draft pick Anthony Davis, who won the NCAA championship
this year, Teague said playing in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls is a whole different feeling.
"Yeah, I have some butterflies. But once I get on the floor, I'm always OK,” said Teague.
Teague played the Bulls summer league opener against the Boston Celtics at the Cox Pavilion, alongside Jimmy Butler, Leon Powe, Ramone Moore and Malcolm Thomas. The Bulls lost the game but Teague showed good skills while playing
at the point guard position and was particularly impressive in running plays for the team.
He will take on a huge responsibility for the Bulls when the regular season commences, with the Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose out for a big chunk of the season after having undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a
torn ACL.
"He has a motor, man. You can't teach that. He can race that ball up. And he's crafty. I'm impressed with how he can work a pick-and-roll. He gets the little intricate parts of that game, the hesitation, playing the cat-and-mouse
game with the bigs. That has been impressive,” said Adrian Griffin, Bulls assistant coach.
Griffin is the head coach for the summer league and likes what he sees in Teague. However, Griffin added that Teague needs to increase his range and has some work to do on his body in order to get in shape for NBA competition.
Teague missed some double practice sessions at the mini camp in Berto Center last week due to some aches and pains in his body.
"Two-a-days are different from college. You have to take care of your body, get your rest and eat right. But overall, it has been good,” said Teague.
The Bulls drafted Teague with their first round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and General Manager Gar Forman said at that time that Teague comes with experience of playing in big matches, giving him a playoff pedigree that is
critical for success in the NBA. With Rose out, Teague will get ample opportunity to prove himself when the regular season commences in late October.
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