How Good Is Paul Pierce On Defense?

[celtics2]

he plays it when he wants to or needs to. for years he carried the Celts.

[Celtics4ever]

PP is a decent defender when he dedicates himself to it.   He is physically strong and I think that is where PP is most underestimated.  How often do you see him pushed around?

[Brendan]

Very very good. In the early 2000 he was arguably the best defensive SF in the league. He plays a very team game on D though - so you don't see it as much in stats or spectacular plays, as much as the overall team effect.

[clover]

He's grown as a player like he's grown as a man.  How easy a story is it for a kid who's rocketed from having nothing to having so much to get lost in his own ego?  Especially as a star, numbers-producing player on a bad team?  And we saw when his play became self-absorbed.

But first he pledged to help the young guys on his bad team.  Then when he was about done with that he rededicated himself to defense as part of the Big Three.  He's gone so far beyond those mano-a-mano contests when facing another star 3 it's easy to forget what he used to get caught up with.

Now he might slide at times with the team, but I believe he's under-appreciated for being really good defensively on most nights.  His size, strength and knowledge of the system are all advantages.  And as he's grown as a man he's practically made himself a lunch-pail player in that regard.