Paul Pierce appeared in a podcast with Rachel Nichols on SHOWTIME, and he made a hot take regarding reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic's rank among the best passers of all time.
The Celtics legend did not list Jokic in his top five best passers ever, despite having shown to be elite in that category.
"Joker is not even a top-five passer to me. Just because he's a big man...he's the best big man, but when you talk about pure passers, you got to talk about guys like Magic, White Chocolate Jason Williams, Rondo, Pete Maravich, Larry Bird," Pierce said.
Pierce may have been referring to the flashiness of the guys he mentioned and not pure playmaking ability, but Jokic also had his moments of amazing passes.
The Serbian big man's passing has been a big factor in his contribution to winning games for his whole career, and it was on full display during this year's playoffs, helping the Nuggets win their first title.
Jokic averaged a career-high 9.8 assists during the 2022-23 regular season and 9.5 assists in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, also a career-best.
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Nikola Jokic - not just a passing threat
Jokic averaged a triple-double in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Suns and the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the first player in history in average double digits in three statistical categories for two straight playoff series.
The 6-foot-11 also broke Wilt Chamberlain's 56-year record of putting up the most triple-doubles in a single playoff run, claiming 10 this year.
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