Paul Pierce shows up at Celtics practice, and he intends to be a presence around the team this year
An impromptu 3-point contest sprouted after Celtics practice Thursday afternoon, but it did not involve any current players. For a moment, with the barking and laughing and shot-making, it seemed as if the clock had been turned back 15 years.
Paul Pierce was at the center of it all, a spot he is certainly accustomed to embracing. Matched up against fellow 2008 title-team members Sam Cassell and Eddie House, among others, Pierce calmly drilled five consecutive 3-pointers from the left corner.
The surge caught the attention of Jayson Tatum, who has become the face of this Celtics era much like Pierce was for the one that preceded it.
Pierce, a 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, is entrenched in retirement, of course, but he intends to be a more visible presence around Boston this season as the team attempts to win its first title since Pierce’s team in 2008.
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Pierce, who played for the Celtics from 1999-2013, recalled when Celtics legends such as Bill Russell, John Havlicek, and Bob Cousy visited. It felt important.
“It just [brought] a certain energy to the building whenever I saw those guys in practice or at the game,” he said. “So I think it kind of continues the brotherhood. It’s all part of our culture and that is something that the Celtics have always been about.
“It’s definitely inspirational because those guys coming back, this is something that they built, and me coming back with the guys is something that I helped continue to build. And so I just think that’s important to keep that alive.”
Pierce’s presence is partly the result of coach Joe Mazzulla’s push to have more Celtics alumni around the team. Hall of Famer Satch Sanders, 84, attended the team’s opening practice Tuesday, for example.
But Pierce’s reconnection to the Celtics truly started over the summer, when he spent four weeks working out with Tatum in Los Angeles.
“He came to the gym every day,” Tatum said. “It was cool to have him around. He told us a lot of stories about the championship team, a lot of things we’ll try to help apply to this year. And hopefully we can see a lot more of Paul.”
Pierce said the Tatum connection was formed when Cassell, who was hired as a Celtics assistant this summer, asked him to go watch one of Tatum’s workouts with him. It happened to take place at Pierce’s old gym, and before long Pierce was joining in.
He and Tatum would push each other during weightlifting sessions, and Pierce served as a sounding board during the basketball drills, mixing in stories about the 2008 Celtics championship team when they fit.
“Just talking about how we came together, and how it is when there’s pressure, and things of that nature,” Pierce said. “We have expectations, what that’s like, and things of that nature. [Tatum asked] me how KG [Kevin Garnett] was in the locker room, just little snippets.”
Pierce has observed the Celtics’ training camp practices this week and said they feel like the start of a journey. Team co-owner Steve Pagliuca said that during Wednesday’s session Pierce turned to him and said it was one of the most competitive practices he had ever seen.
Pierce believes point guard Jrue Holiday, who was acquired from the Trail Blazers Sunday, is the missing piece, and he’s eager to see what happens next.
“These guys are coming in with high expectations and they understand that,” Pierce said. “And so you can see it and how guys are getting here early. I mean, the practices are intense. You can see how hard they’re going. Not as much talking as our team; we had a loud team. You can just see in the habits. Before, during, and after, you see guys getting extra shots up in the room. You can just feel it in the air.”
