“Both could give you 30 and 15” - Paul Pierce compares young NBA star to Steve Nash and James Harden
Hall of Famer Paul Pierce is not a stranger when it comes to letting the public know his NBA takes every now and then. The latest one to receive approval from "The Truth" on Showtime Basketball's "KG Certified" is Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who has been making noise recently with a career year in Indiana.
Pierce's comments involved comparisons made to James Harden and Steve Nash.
"Yeah, Steve Nash and James Harden both could give you 30 with 15 assist," Pierce wrote on X.
From Pierce's original comments from the show's segment with Kevin Garnett, the Boston Celtics legend initially could not think of another point guard to do what Haliburton does on the court. The Pacers guard's combination of elite shooting and passing is something fresh in the eyes of Paul Pierce.
However, Pierce quickly changed his stance by replying to the clip uploaded via X, where he mentioned that James Harden and Steve Nash could also drop "30 points and 15 assists" like Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton dazzled the NBA spectrum with his incredible performance Tuesday night in an In-Season Tournament game against the Atlanta Hawks. In that matchup, Tyrese Haliburton dropped 37 points (11-of-18 shooting, including 9-of-15 from 3-point range), 16 assists, five rebounds and three steals.
To receive comparisons to James Harden and Steve Nash goes a long way for a young star's confidence and development, especially with Haliburton continuing to ascend with his play on the court.
Paul Pierce praises Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum
Similar to the praise given by Paul Pierce to Haliburton, he also recently did the same for Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who is again having an excellent season in Boston.
In a segment with Kevin Garnett on Showtime Basketball's "KG Certified," the 2008 NBA champion spoke of Tatum's high-level season and growth.
"The best American in the league is Jayson Tatum," Pierce said. "You look at his growth. You see what he's done over the past couple of years. I'm just looking around, and I think he's passed Kevin Durant, I think he's passed LeBron [James]. The only argument is Steph [Curry]."
In the 14 games that Jayson Tatum has played this season, he is averaging 28.2 points (50.7% shooting, including 38.4% from 3-point range), 9.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Moreover, it is also a bonus that Tatum plays for the Boston Celtics, the team that Paul Pierce played for 15 seasons in his 19-season NBA career.