Marquis Teague's role at the next level

One of the big question marks NBA general managers have about Marquis Teague, is if he is a starting point guard or a backup. His brother, Jeff, didn't immediately start for the Atlanta Hawks, but eventually worked his way past Kirk Hinrich to gain the spot. Depending on how bad the team need is, little Teague might not have that luxury. If a team is thin at the point guard position, he may be asked to start sooner than later. Draft Express' Joe Treutlein set out to find Teague's niche in the NBA, by assessing his brief college career and here's what he found:

Looking at Teague's game, his fast break prowess is certainly the first thing that stands out projecting to the next level, where he'd be very well served to be drafted by a team playing with an up-tempo pace. Teague has relentless attacking instincts pushing the ball forward whenever it gets into his hands, and he shows a tight and controlled handle at high speeds with the ball. His nose for getting to the rim is excellent and he shows a pretty good feel for the game overall in transition, doing a good job of weaving through defenders and finding his way to the basket. Teague's passing game on the break is also impressive, though it's prone to taking a backseat at times, as he knows he has the step to get around anyone once he gets a full head of steam. Still, he shows good vision on the move finding players both spotting up for jumpers and on dump-offs around the rim, and he did a good share of dishing out to all his teammates on the break this year. In the half court, Teague is much more of a question mark, and he will likely have some transitioning to do at the next level in most situations he could be drafted into. Teague's pick-and-roll game is the aspect of his offense most likely to immediately translate to the NBA, where he could actually benefit from the NBA's stylistic differences from college.

Jeff Teague was picked 19th overall in the 2009 draft and NBA analysts are projecting Marquis Teague to be drafted right around there as well. Is he an immediate starter for a team? I think it depends on situation and talent ahead of him on the team's depth chart. Go "about to be drafted" Cats.