Former NBA superstar and current analyst Paul Pierce is known for his two cents on every platform he sees. He added to his controversial catch by saying that he sees a lot of Luka Doncic, the star of the Mavericks, in Dallas.
There’s a lot of me in there. But seriously. He seems slow and lethargic, but he always succeeds. He’s a better passer-by, but in terms of scoring he and I have a lot in common.
Paul Pierce sees himself as Luca Doncic.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/oqXKfsDEJb
– 7. Coupling points (@ClutchPointsApp) 8. Coupling points (@ClutchPointsApp) January 2021
Without a doubt Pierce was one of the fiercest competitors the NBA has ever seen. In his 15 years with the Boston Celtics, the truth is in the top 10 of games played, points, scored 3 points, assists, rebounds and steals for the historic franchise, according to NBC Sports. He also brought the NBA Championship back to Boston by defeating a strong Los Angeles Lakers team.
Pierce has established herself as a phenomenal clutch player, but the comparison with the star of the Mavs was a bit far-fetched.
Of course there are similarities in the sense that they both have the possibility to take control of the games and get the momentum of their team when they need it most. They have also been praised for their sublime shooting and their ability to plan for themselves in the most difficult situations. Doncic is very different from Pierce, however, in that the Slovenian Guard developed an offensive game in his early seasons as a Dallas outfield shooter who shaped Pierce for most of his Celtic NBA career.
In his first three seasons in the NBA, Doncic averaged 24.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists. In the play-offs of 2020, Doncic averages 31.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.2 steals in the series against the Los Angeles Clippers. That makes him the fifth best player in the play-offs with a 30/8/8 average, according to Sporting News’ Yash Mantage, along with Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James. Not to mention the fact that all this happened when you were 21 and played with an ankle.
Pierce achieved respectable grades during the development of his game in Boston, with an average in the mid-20s of most seasons. Perhaps this is why Pierce saw something of himself in Doncic, based solely on his ability to score points despite his lack of athletics. At this stage, however, the line needs to be drawn. Doncic’s vision of the field and his ability to engage his teammates is unrivalled, as no one in the league does better than him.
Luca’s instincts are incredibly developed at such a young age, which proves that he still has plenty of room to grow and how scary it is to think about his potential. Pierce, though his career performance was remarkable, was not at all up to Doncic’s standard, leading the franchise to the ruthless Western Conference.
Doncic doesn’t have a ring like Pierce, but it’s only a matter of time before Doncic and the Mavericks make the playoffs again.
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