Paul Pierce shares the tweak that would make Jayson Tatum an All-Star — and offers to help
"I probably will talk to Danny."
Paul Pierce knows a thing or 10 about earning an NBA All-Star nod. Now, the retired Boston Celtics forward wants to help Jayson Tatum reach those same heights.
For Pierce, the key to unlocking Tatum’s potential will be driving to the basket and going to the free-throw line.
“Oh, he’d be an All-Star,” Pierce told The Boston Herald. “Just those little things right there, getting to the hoop and getting to the line. For a guy with his athleticism, his skill set and his ball-handling, his height, he should be a guy that gets to the line at least six times a night and makes five out of six.”
Pierce believes making that switch will take Tatum from a 16-point scorer to a 20-point scorer and put him in the annual All-Star conversation.
The 2008 Finals MVP attempted 6.4 free throws per game over the course of his 19 NBA seasons. Pierce holds the Celtics franchise single-season and career records for free throws made and attempted. Through his first two campaigns, Tatum is averaging 3.1 attempts from the charity stripe.
Pierce offered to share his expertise with the 21-year-old, though he noted he has yet to talk to Celtics general manager Danny Ainge about the situation.
“Me and Kevin [Garnett] talked about it when he went down there, but that’s something I would love to do,” Pierce said. “I probably will talk to Danny.”
Tatum’s aware that he needs more trips to the free throw line to realize his potential. Pierce put forward Houston Rockets star James Harden as a model for Tatum to follow, but Celtics fans probably won’t enjoy the hypothetical.
“We’re not going to see Tatum’s whole skill set, I believe, until he either goes to another team or there’s less talent on the team,” he said. “I mean, look at James Harden. We didn’t know James Harden was going to be this until he went to Houston. He was the sixth man on OKC. Now he’s a perennial MVP and arguably the best player in the league.”
