It seems Paul Pierce, has already accepted that he won’t be “the man” with the Brooklyn Nets, after commanding that title during his 15 years with the Boston Celtics.
According to a story by Pro Basketball Talk via the Boston Globe, the Nets forward, has no problem relinquishing that title and accepting a lesser role.
“There will definitely be less pressure on me on this ball club than there was in Boston,” Pierce said. “In Boston, I was the No. 1 primary option. Here we have so many options. We have young All-Stars on this team. My job is to be more of a glorified role player, as Doc [Rivers] used to always say, with the guys we have.
“With my abilities to do so many things, there’s going to be nights where I’m not going to score a bunch of points. I can do other things to help this club win. With the combination of these guys, we’re going to take pressure off each other.”
Nice move by Pierce to squash any potential controversy that may have arisen with regards to designated roles on a team now filled with players who are used to jacking up shots when they felt like it. It’ll be easier said than done, because old habits die hard but this is a good first step.