Marquis Teague did all he was expected to do Wednesday. He learned.
After a rough debut Tuesday night in the Bulls' NBA summer league opener in Las Vegas, Teague looked a little more like a first-round draft pick Wednesday afternoon. The 19-year-old rookie from Kentucky scored 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, with five assists, five turnovers, one steal and one blocked shot in the Bull's 96-88 loss to the Houston Rockets.
''I just knew what to expect when I came out,'' said Teague, who scored eight points on 4-of-17 shooting with one assist and six turnovers against the Celtics on Tuesday night.
''I was in a better rhythm. My teammates told me to stay aggressive and confident. So I was fine. Today they told me to play my game and do what I do. That's what I tried to do today.''
Teague wasn't the best point guard on the floor -- Scott Machado, an undrafted senior from Iona, had 20 points, six assists and four steals to lead the Rockets. But Teague was better than he was the day before, which is all that matters at this point of his career.
''We've been stressing with him to play with faster pace and I thought he did that for the most part,'' said Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, who is coaching the Bulls' summer league team. ''Coming off the pick-and-roll with some speed. Put a little pressure on the defense. He did a good job of getting in the paint.
''But it's a learning process. We just look for him to get better each game here and take advantage of the opportunity.''
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who is watching the action from the stands, is keeping Teague's summer league performances in perspective. It's summer league.
''He's doing OK,'' Thibodeau said. ''It's a trial run. He's starting to learn the system. Like most rookies, there's some good and some bad. He's getting a feel for everything that we're doing.''
Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting and seven rebounds. He continued to draw fouls in the lane and hit 11-of-12 free throws.
Malcolm Thomas, the 6-9 forward who played in the D-league and also three games with the Spurs last season, continued his impressive showing with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 13 rebounds.
Edwin Ubiles, a 6-6 forward who played in the D-league and also four games with the Wizards, scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Guard Ramone Moore scored 11 points for the Bulls.
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