Peak Paul Pierce or Jayson Tatum - Who's better

[TroubleS0me]

Paul
Tatum

[No-more-rings]

I would go with Pierce. His playoff peak at least so far seems more impressive in context.

[GSP]

I dont see how this isnt Tatum...........

Pierce was better on offense but Jaysons improvement in playmaking makes it close. Pierce just had better scoring in halfcourt but he wasnt unstoppable himself or anything

on defense its not close. Jayson is close to all defense for a wing if not there. Pierce was average at best and his defense like Ray was criticized alot before the Kg boost

[70sFan]

I think it's reasonably close, but Tatum's defensive edge is enough to pick him. Pierce is still a better offensive player though.

The thing with Pierce is that his peak isn't his strength, it is his longevity and consistency.

[HeartBreakKid]

I dont see how this isnt Tatum...........

Pierce was better on offense but Jaysons improvement in playmaking makes it close. Pierce just had better scoring in halfcourt but he wasnt unstoppable himself or anything

on defense its not close. Jayson is close to all defense for a wing if not there. Pierce was average at best and his defense like Ray was criticized alot before the Kg boost

Paul Pierce was definitely an above average defender. His career didn't start in 2006. Not even close to Ray Allen.

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Tatum is the better defender and -- perhaps aesthetically -- the more spectacular looking offensive player, but as a Heat fan who's had a heavy rooting interest against both guys, Pierce was simply the scarier opponent. Pierce, to me, had a level of midrange potency and ability to exert pace/control that are two attributes which I rate very heavily when it comes to evaluating offensive players. My eye test tells me Tatum is more spasmatic and volatile

Tatum is probably the better player overall, but I really hated me some prime Paul Pierce

[JordansBulls]

Tatum is only 24.

[Jaivl]

Tatum is only 24.

And he's already better than Paul Pierce!

[Gooner]

Pierce had a better mid range game. He was a better clutch player because of that. Pierce was sneaky athletic too, and very strong.

[capfan33]

Tatum is only 24.

Why is this relevant.

[oaktownwarriors87]

Tatum is only 24.

At 24...

Pierce averaged 26/7/3 on 44/40/81 shooting. They won 49 games and lost in 6 games in the ECF.

Tatum averaged 27/8/4 on 45/35/85 shooting. They won 51 games and lost in 6 games in the NBAF.

Pierce had a higher PER, WS, WS/48, VORP, BPM (offensive and defensive) and a higher net rating with a lower USG%.

I think Tatum will end up being the better player, though

[JimmyFromNz]

Peak Tatum will surpass Paul.

As someone whose watched both careers from the beginning, I don't think jayson is quite there. Particularly when it comes to game control and the ability to impose themselves at the key moments.

The love for tatums defense is a little flattering. He's a good defender within an elite defensive system. Smart, Timelord, White, Brown, Horford that's an absolute luxury. We saw the same from Paul, with similar results, good defensive instincts and hands (yet average results) placed into thibs system with KG as the anchor.

Individual defense is utterly reliant on team defense, and I think it's something that fans overlook consistently, which leads them to overate certain results.

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[tsherkin]

Neat comparison. Could go either way. I definitely feel Pierce on offense, and comfortably so just yet. But Tatum is definitely a better defender, improving as a playmaker and is certainly a good offensive player. It will be very interesting to watch his development.

I dont think there is a doubt that he will end up better than Pierce over time.

[jirrit]

At this current moment I’d easily pick Pierce for a game 7 but Tatum’s not at his peak yet.

[hugepatsfan]

Tatum right now is what Pierce would have been if he committed to being a two-way player during his offensive prime. Not saying he was a bad defensive player during his offensive prime, but he didn't really commit to that end until KG got there. And in fairness to Pierce, it's tough to commit on that end fully when you have to carry the sad cast of characters he played with prior to KG/Ray. Tatum has been blessed with teammates that take enough pressure off of Tatum where he was able to make that commitment. And honestly early on in his career he HAD to make that commitment just to play because he wasn't handed the reigns to the franchise the way Pierce was.

The sad thing with Pierce is his physical prime and his mental/intangibles peak never really overlapped. It's kind of a shame he never got to play with better teams during his peak so he could have developed those championship caliber intangibles. He kind of wasted away on treadmill teams for so long, but to his credit once he had a chance to win he was all out with it.

[JordansBulls]

Tatum is only 24.

And he's already better than Paul Pierce!

Rule changes bro.

[RoyceDa59]

They’d be perfect compliments to each other.

If Celtics could trade Brown for 24 year old Pierce they’d do it in a heartbeat.