Paul Pierce’s audacious Jayson Tatum won’t please LeBron James and Steph Curry

After watching Jayson Tatum dominate the New York Knicks on Monday, Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was sure of one thing: The problem is the top American-born player in the NBA today.

pierce took his bold stand To X (formerly Twitter), wrote: “Tatum is the best American basketball player in the world.”

For those who disagree, the Celtics icon and one-time champion wants them to simply “shut up“.

Tatum scored 35 points on Monday on 13-for-23 shooting, including 5-for-12 from 3-point range. The Celtics superstar also had six rebounds, seven assists and one steal to help Boston beat Jalen Brunson and New York 114-98.

That being said, it’s no surprise that Paul Pierce is so hyped about Jayson Tatum, even saying he’s the best American basketball player in the game today. He definitely has merit, and Tatum is one of the 2023-24 MVP candidates, perhaps behind only non-American-born players Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Luka East. Chichi.

However, sure enough, it may be too early to hand that title to Tatum. The likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell (among others) are also playing like crazy.

For example, Curry is doing something no other NBA player 35 or older has done before, becoming the first person in history to average 30 points per game in the first 10 games of the season. The Golden State Warriors star, like Tatum, is having an MVP-caliber season. The same goes for James, who continues to overcome the odds with the Los Angeles Lakers even in his age-39 season.

If Tatum can maintain his current efficiency, there is no doubt that he will become the best American player in the NBA. Sure enough, however, Tatum may be aiming to become the league’s best as he looks to help the Celtics capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy after more than a decade of waiting. To do that, he’ll need to surpass the likes of Jokic and Embiid, who are once again the front-runners for MVP.