2. He’s An Efficient Stretch-4
No comeback story is complete without, you know, actually bringing something to the table after reaching the low point of the story. Teletovic has (hopefully) already gone through the worst with his health, but now he needs to be the kind of player he was in 2013-14.
In that season (Teletovic’s second year in the league), he averaged 8.6 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three-point range. Teletovic attempted 4.8 threes per game that season and despite only playing 19.4 minutes a night, he quickly established himself as an up-and-coming stretch-4.
At age 30 (which he described as the new 20 to Paul Coro), Teletovic’s room for growth probably isn’t all that high. As a 6’9″ power forward who only pulled down 4.9 rebounds per game last season (7.8 per 36 minutes, not much higher than Keef’s 7.1 per 36 minutes last year), there are some limits to his game.
But if he’s able to come in off the bench as a stretch-4 out of pick-and-pop situations, it won’t be long before the fond Channing Frye memories come rushing back. In that kind of bench role, Teletovic could thrive on the Suns and if he does, you can be guaranteed he’ll immediately win over the Phoenix fan base.
Next: No. 1