Kenny Anderson played for the Celtics for four seasons alongside then-rising star Paul Pierce . The impact of sharing the court with 'The Truth' clearly left a lasting impression on Anderson. This was evident when 'Mr. Chibbs' was ranked the Eastern Conference's top small forward in April 2002, confidently naming his teammate the best.
"Come on, it's a no-brainer. Hands down," Anderson told SLAM Magazine (Edition 59).
Anderson also named McGrady and Carter
In the early 2000s NBA, many considered Pierce to be among the league's elite. However, some critics still did not include him among the top three small forwards in his own conference. Various great players were mentioned in this discussion, with Anderson specifically naming two of them. However, the 1994 All-Star explained why they did not receive his top vote.
"[Tracy] McGrady is tough, Vince [Carter] is tough, I'm not taking anything away from them, but I've practiced with this guy...he (Pierce) does it all," emphasized Kenny.
During that time, Tracy and Vince undoubtedly competed at an outstanding level. The former debuted on the NBA All-Star First Team that year, while the latter led the Eastern Conference All-Star voting for the third year in a row. However, as Kenny noted, it's hard to argue that they had a more well-rounded game than Paul. This versatility arguably places 'The Truth' at the front, a trait he showcased brilliantly during his 2001-02 campaign.
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The versatile Pierce single-handedly carried the C's
At the Celtics' state during that period, Pierce was certainly the team's savior, finally leading the historic franchise back to the playoffs after a seven-year drought.
It was seen as a total carry job by the first-time All-Star, who averaged impressive stats of 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists during the regular season . Pierce stood out mainly as a scorer but also handled the ball well, possessed good footwork and strength, and had a decent (arguably better) defense than the other mentioned names.
Against expectations, the NBA legend led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they eventually fell short against the Nets. While 'Mr. Chibbs' departed Boston not long after, 'The Truth' remained for the majority of his illustrious Hall of Fame career and continued to be an All-Star until 2012.
Related: “Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets” – Brooklyn owner upon acquiring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013
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