Tyler Herro is the man of the hour right now. Everybody’s raving about the Miami Heat’s sensational rookie, especially after he’s blossoming as a clutch scorer since the start of the playoffs.
Paul Pierce, however, seemed unfazed by Herro’s game and, in great Paul Pierce fashion, fired a hot take towards him by claiming that there’s no way that he can call him a bucket if he’s averaging just 11 points per game:
“I can’t call nobody a bucket if you ain’t averaging at least 20 [over the course of a season],” Pierce said. “If you average 11, I can’t give you ‘I’m a bucket.’ You know what I’m saying? I can’t give you ‘I’m a bucket’ just because you get a couple of buckets on the big stage,” Pierce said.
Paul Pierce on Tyler Herro "I can’t call nobody a 'bucket' if you ain’t averaging at least 20…if you average 11 I can’t give you 'I’m a bucket'" pic.twitter.com/3X96aeQiJ8
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 26, 2020
Nevertheless, the rookie out of the University of Kentucky had the last laugh against Pierce, telling him that he averaged about 20 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals when he beat Pierce’s beloved Boston Celtics:
Tyler Herro responds to Paul Pierce
"I think I just averaged about 20 in the eastern conference finals."
(Via ESPN) https://t.co/YNM54t5LJ2 pic.twitter.com/3f87VVRlZ5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 28, 2020
Pierce could have a point about the 11 points per game and being a bucket but c’mon man, put things into context. Herro’s a rookie coming off the bench for most of the season and averaging double-digits in limited looks at the rim and minutes is impressive.
Moreover, he’s proving that he’s in fact a bucket from all three levels now that he’s given the green light to shoot and coach Spoelstra’s actually drawing plays for him. Pierce has a reputation for being petty with his takes and just can’t keep taking L’s lately.
