Younger fans of the NBA may see Paul Pierce as a contentious analyst, who’s cocky and full of himself. But in his prime, he was one of the best players of his generation. Pierce, a 10-time All-Star, made four All-NBA teams and was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. So, when he offers advice or his services, one ought to listen, especially when it comes to scoring.
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It’s always worth reminding people how good Pierce really was. He was such a reliable shot-maker and smart offensive player that his game would slide perfectly into the modern NBA. His pure scoring ability was so polished that you could almost imagine him helping a team even today at 48.
Pierce was actually asked this question recently on the No Fouls Given podcast. After joking that anyone could help out the Sacramento Kings nowadays, he pointed to one specific team that could definitely still use his help.
“I can help Orlando. They need some more shooting. I’mma give spot shooting. You know I could knock down some shots,” Pierce shared. “They got Desmond Bane, but then outside of that, their shooting is kind of inconsistent.”
The Orlando Magic are indeed among the worst teams in three-point percentage this season. Coming in at 34.7%, they rank 22nd in the league.
It was just meant to be a theoretical question, but Pierce then started laying out the roadmap for how he could get in shape and play. “I play a couple of days a week. Give me six weeks to get in better shape. If I can drop like 15 pounds, I’ll be straight.”
It was a fun thought experiment. But in reality, if this ever occurred, many would be concerned with Pierce’s defensive ability. At 48, there’s no way he’d be able to hang with the young athleticism in the NBA.
However, Pierce’s co-host, Danny Green, is only 38, and could legitimately help another team at the drop of a hat if he wanted to. “I could give you like 20 minutes at most, because I don’t want any injuries. 15-20 minutes, I could help a couple of teams. I could be a solid plug-in,” he said.
At the end of the day, it was just a fan question that Pierce and Green answered, but they did bring up some interesting points. Would Pierce improve the Magic’s overall three-point percentage? Could Green still be a key role player on a contender?
We will probably never know, since both of them are firmly rooted in NBA media at this point. Still, it is fun to think about, and maybe one day we will see them show what they have left in a celebrity game or something similar.
