Celtics legend Paul Pierce claims Jayson Tatum is moving ahead of Kevin Durant in the pecking order the following his 39-point game.
Advertisement
The Brooklyn Nets faced the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center in what was a must-win game for them after going down 0-2. However, it was another disappointing performance by the Nets as they were outplayed in every facet by the C’s. As a result, the most skilled duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are down 0-3 and are on the verge of being swept out of the first round.
In fact, Jayson Tatum was the best player on the floor, leading the Celtics with 39 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. Moreover, he did that while playing lockdown defense on Durant, and even had 6 steals to his name. Meanwhile, Durant had a stinker. The 2x champion took just 11 shots in the game and finished with 16 points.
Jayson Tatum tonight:
39 Points
6 Assists
5 Rebounds
6 Steals 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GePDSR1BXI— KyleCovers.com (@itskylecovers) April 24, 2022
Right before the game, a report emerged saying an NBA scout would have the Celtics rising superstar over the Nets forward. Post the game, Celtics legend Paul Pierce went one further and dropped one of his classic ‘Truth Bombs’
Paul Pierce claims Jayson Tatum has surpassed Kevin Durant.
In a series-defining game 3, both Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant had hugely contrasting nights. While the former was the best player of the game, the latter was nothing short of abysmal, taking only a grand total of 11 shots, largely due to Tatum’s defense on KD. Following Tatum’s exceptional game 3, Celtics legend Paul Pierce went all-in with a BOLD take of his own:
Paul Pierce. 👀 pic.twitter.com/nvSixB1Bub
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 24, 2022
To say Tatum has passed KD might still be a bit of a stretch. However, the fact that scouts and now Pierce are saying that Tatum has arguably surpassed Durant as a player speaks volumes for how far the Celtics star has come.
Also, the former Duke product has a long way to go in his career. While Tatum is certainly outplaying the Nets forward in this particular series, it still might be a little too early to make this claim. That being said, Tatum certainly has the talent to one day, maybe surpass, KD as an all-time great.
KD last 2 games:
— 0 makes in 2nd half of G2
— 0 attempts in last 11 mins of G3 pic.twitter.com/grs0LN9rlU— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 24, 2022