Paul Pierce certainly lived up to his nickname, “The Truth” over his 19 seasons in the NBA, and he continues to live up to it off the court.
The former Boston Celtics shooting guard shared his thoughts on C’s rookie Jayson Tatum and sounded honored to hear the 20-year-old being compared to him.
“I see a lot of things Jayson does, how he creates space, gets to the hole deceptively, the way he knocks down shots — he’s a real shotmaker, he can get his shot off on anybody,” Pierce said in an interview with Boston.com’s Chad Finn. “He’s smart. He uses his body well, the way he pushes off with his shoulder to get an open shot. He has a lot of craftiness to his game, and that probably reminds a lot of people of me.”
Pierce said he sees why people make the comparison, but noted he wasn’t the most athletic person on the court.
“Tatum is a lot more athletic than me. He can use either hand,” Pierce told Finn. “Once he gets a little stronger in the near future, look out. I mean, he’s obviously smart beyond his years.”
Pierce also noted the age difference between when the two players entered the league.
“When I came out, I was a 21-year-old,” Pierce continued, via Finn. “He was 19 for most of this season. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but a year and a half, two years, that’s a lot of developmental time. I had three years of college (at Kansas) to develop. He had one year (at Duke), and he’s already doing this. He’s a superstar in the making. You can compare a kid like that to me anytime you want.”
That’s some strong praise from a surefire Hall of Famer and Celtics legend.
