Jeff Teague injury to sideline him indefintely

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be without point guard Jeff Teague indefinitely after he suffered a sprained MCL on Wednesday.

In a tough blow to a team that is finally starting to figure it out this season, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Jeff Teague will miss an indefinite amount of time after suffering a sprained knee in Minnesota’s victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Teague was diagnosed with a Grade 1 MCL sprain after an MRI on Thursday, though no structural damage was revealed.

Teague is averaging 13.4 points and 7.3 assists in what is his first season as a member of the Timberwolves. Minnesota signed the 29-year-old guard to a three-year deal worth $57 million after trading longtime starter Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz early in the offseason. Minnesota is hoping to earn a spot in the postseason after acquiring veterans like Teague, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson over the summer.

There is some optimism trickling out of Minnesota that Teague could be sidelined somewhere between two and four weeks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

There is, however, nothing concrete enough to nail down a timeline for the point guard’s return just yet. Teague’s absence will make things more challenging for the Timberwolves, especially with head coach Tom Thibodeau relying so heavily on his starters. Teague is averaging north of 34 minutes per game this season.

Minnesota will likely turn to third-year point guard Tyus Jones in Teague’s absence. The Duke product saw three starts earlier this season when Teague was sidelined with another injury, and he performed admirably when given the opportunity. Jones’ most impressive game of the season game on November 26 when he logged nine points, four rebounds, seven assists, seven steals and two blocks against the Phoenix Suns.

The Timberwolves have been playing good basketball as of late, and it seems like Butler has adjusted to his new surroundings in Minnesota. After averaging 16.2 points per game in October and 17.9 in November, the former Chicago Bulls star is putting up 27 a night in the month of December. Butler has asserted himself as the alpha dog on this roster, and the Wolves are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

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Teague will most certainly be missed, but Jones is more capable of filling the void than most people probably realize. Minnesota will face their first test without Teague on Thursday night when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jones will presumably be matched up with defensive stalwart Eric Bledsoe.