‘Maybe Jaylen wants a chance to be the guy’: Paul Pierce’s claim about James Harden-Jaylen Brown sparks outrageous comments from fans

Former NBA player and ESPN analyst Paul Pierce has sparked controversy with his recent comments about the dynamics of Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard James Harden and Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown.

The Boston Celtics currently have a number of young talents on their roster, including dynamic trio Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Brown on both defense and offense, although Tatum is the one who gets the most praise.

Jaylen Brown

The 26-year-old previously caused concern among Boston Celtics fans when the shooting guard was asked in an interview with Logan Murdock last week if he could stay in Boston long being “wanted, needed” and “treated properly.”

Why did Paul Pierce compare James Harden to Jaylen Brown?

The former Boston Celtics player opened up about his thoughts on the shooting guard in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, comparing Brown’s situation to some other players in the past who found fame on their second team.

Pierce said, “Maybe Jaylen would like an opportunity to be the guy,” suggesting Brown might have wanted to leave Boston as he was tired of playing second fiddle to Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum.

“I’ve seen that for years when guys have left teams. Just think of James Harden. James Harden wouldn’t be James Harden if he hadn’t gone (The Oklahoma City Thunder). Tracy McGrady would not have become T-Mac if he had not left Toronto. You never know. Maybe Jaylen will think about it, or maybe he’ll stay.” Pierce added.

Paul Pierce compares Jaylen Brown’s situation in Boston to James Harden’s situation in OKC and Tracy McGrady’s situation in Toronto

“Maybe Jaylen would like a chance to be ‘the guy'”

(Above @SiriusXMNBA ) pic.twitter.com/8JjhOOJAXh

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 24, 2023

Pierce’s comments quickly made waves in the NBA community, with many fans taking to social media to share their own thoughts on the matter. While some agreed with Pierce’s assessment, Maximum fans were more critical, suggesting that Pierce was simply trying to stir up controversy.

Not exactly a great comparison, Harden showed in Houston that he couldn’t be THAT guy in the big moments even though, to be tan, he’s a MUCH better player in Boston than Harden was in OKC

— NMH (@nosmhsnow) March 24, 2023

One fan commented that having only one Superstar player on a team is not common at the moment as almost every team has several veteran players, so Brown can’t be “the guy”.

It’s not the same because there is no longer “the guy” but rather “the boys”, each team gets several superstar players to win, the era of a team with one star player is over.

— jamie (@jamie45932664) March 24, 2023

One user predicted a few teams for Brown, stating that none of those teams would be good for him.

He’s not that guy, but to entertain the thought: which team will Brown be that guy on?
– Detroit, Charlotte, Houston, San Antonio?

Trading here sure would be bad for Brown.

— Tushar Rathi (@TusharRathi_) March 24, 2023

Some fans also pointed out that Brown has already established himself as a key player with the Celtics and is his and Tatum’s team.

He’s already the guy who owns the Celtics and the Tatum team

— Troy Simons (@ImUpNext3) March 24, 2023

However, some fans defended Pierce, saying his comment was merely an observation about the possible motivations behind Brown’s desire to leave Boston and that he was entitled to his opinion.

Despite the controversy, it seems likely that the conversation surrounding Brown and his role on the Celtics team will continue to be a hot topic in the NBA world, given some cryptic things Brown himself has previously said.