Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown 'Beef' Gets Interesting New Twist From Ex-Celtics Teammate originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jeff Teague has a unique perspective on the ongoing back-and-forth between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Teague played 34 games with the Boston Celtics during the 2020-21 season. He noticed tension between the two stars, but emphasized that "it wasn't bad tension."
"It was competitive tension," Teague said. "Like, JB was the No. 3 pick. JT came the next year, No. 3 pick. JT started immediately. JB had to work for his, you know what I mean? It was just a little competitive beef, like 'they think he better than me' kind of thing.
"JB always been for the fight. JB had his time last year. JT was out. He showed what he can do; that he was an elite player. So now JB like, 'I want to be in them same conversations they putting your name in.'"
MORE: Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown 'Beef' Timeline
Teague's only season in Boston was a notable one for both Tatum and Brown.
The Celtics went 36-36 that season, but Tatum earned his second All-Star selection while Brown earned his first. It was the first of four All-Star selections the duo would earn as teammates.
Tatum and Brown led the Celtics to 51 wins and an NBA Finals appearance in 2021-22. They fell short of another Finals appearance in 2022-23, but they finally reached the mountaintop in 2023-24, winning an NBA championship together.
While they achieved a lot of success together, recent developments have many questioning Tatum and Brown's relationship. Teague's comments don't necessarily suggest there was bad blood between them, but they do indicate a competitive tension long before the current back-and-forth.