Former Boston Celtics forward Evan Turner may have only spent two seasons in Beantown, but that hasn't stopped him from jumping into one of the NBA's hottest debates: Jayson Tatum vs. Jaylen Brown.

Despite never playing alongside either superstar—Turner's tenure with the Celtics ran from 2014 to 2016, just missing both players' arrivals—the ex-pro didn't hold back with a bold take that's sure to get fans talking.

With trade rumors swirling around Brown and endless comparisons between the two All-Stars, Turner made a jaw-dropping claim about how Boston's season might have looked if the injury bug had bitten differently. "If it were the other way around, I think [Jayson Tatum and the Celtics] would've been first in the East, and I think they would've made it out that Game 7," Turner said Friday on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

Here's the context: Tatum missed 66 games during the regular season, yet the Celtics still racked up 56 wins and secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. That's largely thanks to Brown's career year, which kept Boston just four games behind the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. But when Tatum went down again in the playoffs—missing the final five quarters of a first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers—the Celtics stumbled. Without their star forward, Boston lost Game 7 at home, and Brown couldn't carry the team past the Sixers on his own.

Turner's argument? Swap the injuries, and the outcome flips. "If Jaylen had been the one hurt instead of Jayson, Boston would still be playing basketball," he implied.

And the numbers might just back him up. On/off court splits tell a compelling story: the Celtics are at their best when Tatum plays without Brown, but struggle when Brown is on the floor without Tatum. Boston also boasts a better record when Tatum takes more shots than Brown, and the team tends to thrive when Brown sits. Brown stepped up admirably in Tatum's absence this season, but ultimately, his efforts fell just short of championship glory.

Whether you're Team Tatum or Team Brown, one thing's clear: this debate isn't going away anytime soon—and Turner just added some serious fuel to the fire.