When Paul Pierce signed with the Washington Wizards on July 11, it seemed like Washington downgraded from Trevor Ariza, who departed to Houston. Two months into the season, it’s time for a fresh look.
In our own free agency tracker, there were not kind words for the aging Pierce. “And while this may seem like a fine consolation prize for Ernie Grunfeld and Randy Wittman, anybody in Boston or Brooklyn who has been watching Pierce closely for the past two years will tell you The Truth should be called The False at this point in his career.”
The real “truth” is that Pierce has made a real positive impact on the Wizards both on and off the court in helping Washington become a better team than have been in decades.
The Wizards are now 20-8 after a Christmas day win over New York. When they got to 12 games over .500 on Dec. 16, it was the first time they were that many games over .500 since the end of the 1978-1979 season. That’s not a typo.
Conventional wisdom dictates that it takes time for a team to get going when it makes a major addition. Cleveland started 5-7 after adding LeBron James and Kevin Love. Charlotte started 4-15 and 6-19 because they couldn’t integrate Lance Stephenson into the fold. That adjustment period never had to take place with Pierce.
“I think we just came in and had a mindset and a focus into training camp of what we want to be,” point guard John Wall told SheridanHoops, “and Paul didn’t come in and try to step on anybody’s toes and come in and be a great leader for us.”
Many Wizards interviewed for this column talked about Pierce’s leadership and not wanting to change an already strong team culture led by Wall and his young and dynamic backcourt mate Bradley Beal.
“Since day one, he’s been open arms to learning the system, the position and he’s been coaching and mentoring John and I at the same time,” Beal said. “So he’s been terrific.”
The 37-year-old Pierce is currently averaging career lows in minutes, scoring, assists, steals, PER and free throw attempts per game, but his impact on the court is undeniable. According to NBA.com, Washington is plus-7.9 points per 48 minutes with Pierce on the court and minus-1.6 per 48 minutes while he’s on the bench. That’s a 9.5 point difference per game.
“I think I’ve done well,” Pierce told SheridanHoops. “I think I’m totally bought in to what’s going on here, what the culture’s all about here and I’m making the sacrifices necessary to do so.”
Those sacrifices are evident in the stat sheet, where Pierce has logically yielded to Wall, Beal, Nene and Marcin Gortat on offense.
“Obviously they already know what I bring to the table they just want me to go in here and be myself,” Pierce said. “Be a leader, lead by example, be a vocal leader and help us win games.”
That vocal veteran leadership is something that the team lacked last year, according to reserve point guard Andre Miller.
“I think Paul understands his role,” Miller told SheridanHoops. “He knows what he could do at his point in his career. He’s a veteran, he’s won championships and he wants to be on a team that has the opportunity to make that next step. So he’s blending in well, he’s doing a great job of being a leader.”
Miller said that Pierce’s leadership involves demonstrating good habits, being outspoken during practices and positively motivating and challenging his teammates.
Pierce has blended in so well that it’s easy to forget at times that he’s only played 28 games with this team.
“It’s almost like he’s been here longer than he has, actually,” head coach Randy Wittman said.
“We knew he was a great player but it was a question of time when he’s going to start contributing and be on the same page with us,” Gortat told SheridanHoops. “The way we’re playing right now, it doesn’t look like we’re missing Trevor at all.”
The beauty of this Washington team, which also added veterans Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair in the offseason, is that even starting caliber players who come off the bench know who’s team it is and buy into the team concept.
“Everyone respects their role and we just try to go out there as one group, not just one guy,” Wall said.
Thursday was the first time that the projected starting five of Wall, Beal, Pierce, Nene and Gortat played together this season, yet with help from Pierce and his contributions both on and off the court, the Washington Wizards are reaching heights that they have not seen in 25 years.
Seems like Pierce wasn’t exactly a consolation prize after all.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who focuses on analytics, profiles and features. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. Follow him on Twitter.