Paul Pierce Talked About John Wall and Bradley Beal Having To Decide If They "Want To Be Good Or Great" And How He Should Punch Otto Porter In The Face
ESPN – “I talk to them a lot about mental preparation and consistency,” Pierce said. “I keep telling Wall and Beal, ‘You’ve got to make up your mind. Do you want to be good, or do you want to be great? Because if you want to be great, you gotta do it every single night, not just when you feel like it.’ “Both of those guys have the potential to be great. I love them. But sometimes I’m not sure they realize what it takes. “That was (Rajon) Rondo’s problem, too. Some days he did, some days he didn’t. I think it’s more this generation. A lot of these players have been catered to since the sixth grade. The NBA is changing so much. It’s not like when I came up, with that old-school mentality that practice really mattered. You’ve got these 24, 25 year old guys who sit out of practice now to rest. It’s hard for me to understand, but I’m trying.”
The Wizards plugged in former No. 3 pick Otto Porter Jr. in Pierce’s place and he responded by averaging 13.6 points and nearly seven rebounds a game over past four outings. “Otto is another one who just doesn’t understand how good he is,” Pierce said. “He can shoot, he’s a slasher, he can defend, I’m just not sure how badly he wants it every day. “That kid just needs to get mad. If he came to practice ticked off and to the games ticked off, he’d be fine. But it’s hard to get Otto mad. I should punch him one day just to get him riled up.”
Really good article on ESPN about Paul Pierce. Great read for basketball fans. He talks about his time in Brooklyn being a shit show, his relationship with KG, being a veteran presence, and much more. And he doesn’t hold back. That’s what I love about Pierce. He’s one of the last old school guys who isn’t buddy-buddy with everyone in the league. He’s a bad motherfucker who wants everyone to hate him. He isn’t trying to be best friends with everyone and giving them hugs after a loss.
I love what he said about Otto. There was a reason Otto was the number 3 pick in the draft. We’ve seen sparks out of him here and there this year. Some games it’s like “oh man, is Otto finally there??” and then he’ll have 4 clunkers in a row. I think grouping Wall in with them is a bit off-base, as Wall is obviously a dominant player in the league. Beal has been hampered by injuries and a terrible coaching scheme, but I think Pierce is just trying to boost his spirits a bit there, saying he can be great if he puts in the work.
And let’s talk about last night real quick. The Wizards lost a 2OT game vs Indiana. Wittman played all the starters the entire game. And the game was completely meaningless for them. The starters should have been rested like every.single.other.team. that has locked up a playoff spot has been doing. There was no reason for John Wall to be out there in a 2OT game with no ramifications. No reason for Nene to be playing more minutes than he needs to be. Just another completely boneheaded coaching decision from Wittman.
From the looks of it, it will be the Wiz vs Raptors (though there is a chance it will be a Bulls rematch). The Wiz did not play very well against Toronto all year and always seems to play well against Chicago. Despite being a playoff team all year and having a ton of talent, Wittman’s lackluster coaching overpowers everything. He runs an offense that suggests long-2s are a shot his players should be taking. The worst shot in basketball. But he’s all about it.
Once Wittman is gone, look for Bradley Beal to flourish. It’s really hard to improve your shooting when your coach is making you shoot the lowest % shot you can take.
As for the playoffs, I’m hesitantly optimistic that based on talent from Wall and Beal and Gortat and Nene alone they can squeak out a first round win like last year.