Paul Pierce is a true legend in the lore of the Boston Celtics and basketball as a sport. Throughout his tenure with the franchise, the Truth remained a relentless force and helped Boston win a hard-fought championship in 2008. Interestingly, when it was time to switch teams in 2013, the picks that the Celts received in exchange, further helped them rebuild the franchise with their current superstars, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
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In a way, Pierce continues to have a considerable influence on the Celtics organization and its players. Very recently, he appeared alongside Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and analyst Rachel Nichols on the ‘Truth Lounge’, where Nichols tried poking a friendly dig at him.
Taking a jab at the Celtics legend’s unique relationship with Boston’s young stars, Nichols asked Grousbeck,
“Is Paul [Pierce] with your young superstar a good thing? The influence?”
I asked Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck about Paul PIerce & Jayson Tatum working out together: "is Paul with your young superstar a good thing? the influence?"
Paul: "I tell them, y'all can come with me to the gym, but when we leave the gym, y'all go that way, I'm going this way." 😂 pic.twitter.com/1E0GF7nXOT— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 15, 2024
Jokes apart, the 10-time NBA All-Star was extremely mature in answering that question. He said, “I tell them, y’all come with me to the gym, but when we leave the gym, y’all go that way, I’m going this way.” In a way, the Truth reasserted his position to remain a positive influence and a veteran mentor to the team’s young talents.
While working out with the young stars, Pierce also shared a valuable piece of advice that he had for Jayson Tatum. When Nichols asked him about this, he replied,
“I just want to kind of like let him know it’s not easy to win in this league. You gotta wrap your mind around how tough it is…So, when you come to that point in a game or in a series where things ain’t going your way, you gotta wrap your mind around like, ‘I should have known it wasn’t going to be handed to me anyway.'”
The 2008 NBA Finals MVP drew from his 19 seasons of experience in the league to advise the emerging new talents leading the way for the Celtics. Perhaps, it will be a boon for the team’s youngsters to have a vet presence like him as he loves to spend time with them.
Paul Pierce spent last summer working out with Jayson Tatum
Paul Pierce must have put the right juice in Jayson Tatum while working out with him before the start of this season. Last summer, Pierce was seen hyping up Tatum as the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals MVP deadlifted a staggering 495 lbs in the weight room. Pierce cheered the young Celtics superstar saying,
“Let’s get it, baby. Come on, come on. Let’s start this week fighting. Hell yeah. Hell yeah.”
Paul Pierce was Jayson Tatum’s hype man during his lift this morning 🔥☘️
(via nsang8 / IG)pic.twitter.com/NPCEOfw9jr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 1, 2023
Pierce had always believed in Tatum’s potential since his rookie year. In 2018, The Celts forward was seen as the number one option for the Celtics in the absence of Kyrie Irving to face LeBron James and the Cavs in 2018. Since then, he has solidified his position as one of the finest players on the roster.
Pierce truly believes Tatum could lead the Celts to their championship and become an even greater Celtics legend, surpassing Larry Bird and Bill Russell. As they prepare for their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance, perhaps it would be the best time for the team to bank on his mentorship.
