By benefit of playing between 1999-2009, former 10-year NBA swingman Wally Szczerbiak overlapped with Hall of Fame shooting guards Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The longtime league small forward was also teammates with Hall of Fame superstars Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Paul Pierce during his stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, then-Seattle SuperSonics, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
During a new interview on "The Dan Patrick Show," Szczerbiak — now a CBS Sports analyst — revealed who his toughest cover was defensively. Keep in mind, this man played against Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.
But the one-time All-Star didn't hesitate in listing his pick — which was none of that aforementioned trio.
“I’ve always said this, it was Paul Pierce. I played against him for years," Szczerbiak said. "He was such a smart basketball player. For me, being 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8, Paul Pierce had the height that could match up with me. And I just had a lot of problems guarding him.”
Szczerbiak was also, at one point, Pierce's colleague. Boston traded for the 6-foot-7 swingman Miami University in Ohio product during the 2005-06 season.
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During his first (half-) season in Boston, Szczerbiak averaged 17.5 points on .476/.393/.898 shooting splits, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 0.6 steals in 32 contests (31 starts). He went on to play alongside Pierce through 2006-07.
“He changed speeds. Was so smart,” Szczerbiak said of his opponent-turned-teammate-turned opponent again. "He was one of the most underrated superstars, I think, in my generation. I had the opportunity to play with him in Boston also for a year and a half. Got to know him as a guy. But he was a handful for me.”
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Pierce, a 10-time All-Star and the 2008 Finals MVP with Boston, is generally regarded as an all-time great, although he's not considered to be quite in the same class as Jordan, James, Bryant, or even his own eventual Celtics champion teammate Garnett. It's fascinating that Szczerbiak has such high praise for Praise over the others — although in fairness, he played a Washington Wizards-era Michael Jordan, not the Chicago Bulls vintage.
In 1,102 career regular season games (1,099 starts) with Boston, Pierce logged averages of 21.8 points on .447/.370/.806 shooting splits, 6.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks. His floor-spacing acumen would be even more valuable in today's game than it was during his mid-aughts prime.
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