Mar 6, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Marquis Teague (25) shoots during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

Teague has had an up and down rookie season. He’s generally performed capably when given extended minutes, but those opportunities are relatively few and far between, much as they were for Jimmy Butler last season, in his rookie year. But with Kirk Hinrich continuing to get hurt every other week, Teague has gotten more chances to prove he belongs in the NBA. Last night’s 11 point, 3 rebound, 3 assist performance was one such example.

Admittedly, that’s not a terribly impressive statline. It’s solid, if not spectacular. There were two main things that stood out: The Bulls took a double-digit lead with Teague on the court — they would later surrender a 14-0 Spurs run with him on the floor, but still — and all 11 points came on jumpers.

Teague’s main weakness coming out of college was/is his jumper, or lack thereof. Thus far, Teague has been largely unwilling to take even open jumpers unless he absolutely has to, at least in part because he can’t make them. He tends to prefer to drive to the rim, and he does that fairly effectively, even as the defense knows full well what he’s going to do. But he showed a quicker trigger than normal as he hit three triples in the second quarter, adding a mid-range jumper off the dribble in the fourth quarter.

Now, while encouraging, odds are this isn’t some kind of turning point in Teague’s development. He missed an open three in the second half that didn’t even come close, and will likely continue missing jumpers from here on. But if he gets some confidence out of this, or if his performance allows Thibs to justify playing him more, the end result will be a major positive for the Bulls.

Oct 16, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Marquis Teague (25) drives past Milwaukee Bucks guard Eddie Gill (44) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie Marquis Teague has been impressing the one guy that no rookie manages to impress: Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. In Wednesday nights win against the Philadelphia 76ers, Teague played a total of 20 minutes in which he tallied 6 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and just one turnover.

While what seems like a natural ability to run an offense and control the tempo is what impressed most fans, Thibodeau was obviously more impressed with his work on the other end of the floor. After roasting Nate Robinson for almost a full quarter, Teague managed to come into the game and slow down Jrue Holiday. He did manage to score 26 points, but it took him 28 shots and 5 turnovers to get there. Not to mention, the bulk of his easy scores came against Nate.

More important than any of his statistical feats was the fact that he was Thibbs’ closing point guard, playing the bulk of the fourth quarter. For good measure, the first time Jimmy Butler played important fourth quarter minutes for Tom Thibodeau was 25 games into his career, against the New York Knicks.

Here’s what Joakim Noah, who has become a bit of a team veteran had to say about Teague, via KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:

“He’s a worker. He comes to practice early, is always lifting weights and getting extra shots. This is what you work hard for, for moments like this, to get an opportunity as a rookie to step in and make a difference. He made a difference.”

According to KC Johnson’s Twitter, there is a chance that either Kirk will be back tonight against the New Jersey Nets, that Teague will be starting, or that Robinson will be starting. In other words, Tom Thibodeau is already in play-off form in terms of his interactions with reporters.

Here’s the kicker with Marquis Teague though. He’s the one rookie I’m not letting myself get attached to too much. If he ends up being really good, he’s probably going to get traded within the next 16 months. If last game was an anomaly and he ends up being terrible, that sucks too. However, if he ends up being Derrick Rose’s permanent back-up, that’d be pretty awesome. It would also mean that despite how much Bulls fans complain about their management, there’s one thing they’ve proven to be good at: drafting (aside from that whole Tyrus Thomas for LaMarcus Aldridge debacle).