Despite signing a one-day contract Monday, Paul Pierce isn’t walking back through the TD Garden’s doors as a player. His potential heir apparent soon will, though.
Boston Celtics rookie forward Jayson Tatum, whose game commonly is compared to that of “The Truth’s,” generated plenty of buzz with his play in the NBA Summer League. And now you can count Pierce, who has never been one to hide needs to hide his Celtics fandom, among the many who already are singing Tatum’s praises.
“Man, that Tatum kid, he’s going to be real — as long as he keeps working,” Pierce said during an Instagram Live post from Boston’s Public Garden on Monday, via MassLive. “He’s got a lot of the tools. I like that kid.”
But it’s not just Tatum that has Pierce fired up. In Pierce’s eyes, the Celtics’ overhauled roster could be ready to take down the vaunted Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I like the whole squad, man,” Pierce said. “It’s time to dethrone LeBron (James) in the East. We back. We back.”
Whether Tatum lives up to the standards set by Pierce remains to be seen and, truthfully, isn’t really fair to speculate about at this point. But if the rookie one day does become a cornerstone of the franchise, he won’t do it while wearing No. 34.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
