Jeff Teague is as honest as they come. The former NBA All-Star recently linked up with the Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey for an offseason hoops session, and didn’t hold back about what Ivey brought to the table.
Teague was complimentary of the Pistons’ young star. While Teague admittedly still had scoring moments against Ivey and got his fair share of trash talk in, the 37-year-old left the session motivated to get back to working out frequently again.
“I can’t let no youngster cook me,” Teague said on the ‘Club 520’ show.
Jeff Teague on playing Jaden Ivey
I was like, “He can’t guard me.” He came down so fast, swung. I was like, “Yeah, I’m cooked.” I went home thinking about that.“
Via @club520podcast pic.twitter.com/YNJAbWAEAp
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) August 21, 2025
“Shoutout to the young boy, Jaden Ivey. I started talking crazy to him yesterday when we was hooping. He couldn’t guard me, for real,” Teague said, with some sarcasm.
“He’s like a grown man out there. I hit a shot on him. I was like, ‘He can’t guard me!’ He came down so fast, swung. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m cooked.’ I went home thinking about that. I was like, I’m really cooked. I was about to start playing basketball again.”
At this point, Ivey should be ready to roll for training camp in October. After he went down with a leg injury on the first day of 2025, Ivey spent the remainder of the 2024-2025 NBA season. He was cleared for basketball activities during the Pistons’ playoff run, but there wasn’t enough time to get him back in the mix.
Soon, Ivey will get a chance to start working on his 2025-2026 campaign. The way he played last season has fans and the organization excited for what he’s able to bring to the table with a slightly new-look roster.
Dec 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) in game action against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
In 30 games last year, Ivey saw the court for an average of 30 minutes. He produced 18 points per game, while shooting career-highs from the field (46 percent) and beyond the arc (41 percent).
Along with his scoring, Ivey dished out four assists per game, and came down with four rebounds per game.
The 23-year-old was missing from Detroit’s first playoff run since the start of the Cade Cunningham era. The team believes he could be key in helping them push past the second round next season, if all goes well in the health department after his major setback.
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