Team take a punt on Buddy (8)
I believe the answer is:
sidekick
'buddy' is the definition.
(I know that buddy can be written as sidekick)
'team take a punt' is the wordplay.
'team' becomes 'side' (both can mean a sports team).
'take' says to put letters next to each other.
'a punt' becomes 'kick' (I've seen this in another clue).
'side'+'kick'='SIDEKICK'
'on' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for sidekick that I've seen before include "Buddy, constant companion" , "personal assistant" , "Robin perhaps" , "Assistant to a more dominant person (informal)" , "Person's assistant" .)