Jeff Teague Back With The Atlanta Hawks—But Not In His Usual Role

 Jeff Teague, who spent 7 1/2 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, has returned to the team, but this time as a scout. 

Teague got a championship ring as part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the stretch run and the playoffs last season, but the 33-year-old decided not to play this season, as he related to nba.com's KL Chouinard. "I was debating if I was going to continue playing or not. I had an injury that I wasn't really sure if I had to have surgery or not. I didn't want to go through with the surgery, so I was like, 'I don't think I'm going to try to play this year.' And I just started looking at different things." 

Coming back to the Hawks as a scout is definitely different. But Teague figures he has the chops for the gig. "I've been all around the world watching basketball," he said, "so I've got a pretty good eye for who I think can play at a certain level." 

Scouting for the NBA Draft

Teague will be helping the Hawks assess candidates for the 2022 NBA Draft, as he'll scout college players all over the Midwest. 

The point guard's career–if it is indeed done–covered 12 seasons, with a 12.2 points per game average, and 5.6 assists. He shot threes at a 36% clip, but finished last season at a career-high 44% from beyond the arc. 

As for whether he's retired for good, he's not giving a straight answer. "Yeah, I'm never going to retire."

Photo Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports