Future Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce just endured a difficult first season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dealing with the Blake Griffin drama and a whole host of team-wide injuries in his return to his native Southern California, the 2015-16 season didn’t necessarily go according to plan for the future Hall of Famer.
Immediately following the Clippers series-ending Game 6 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Pierce didn’t exactly sound like a man that’s prepared to fully commit to a return to the NBA for a 19th season.
“For each year the last couple of years, I’ve thought long and hard about walking away from the game. The process will continue this summer as I think long and hard, as I get older in age, talk to my family, see how my body feels,” Pierce said, via CSN Northwest. “I don’t want to make an emotional decision right now, so I’ll sit down with my family and think about it. It’s just gotta hit you one day. You just never know. You don’t know. Right now, it’s 50/50. I’ll see how I feel when I wake up, if I feel like getting ready for next season. If I don’t feel that feeling, that fire’s not there, it’s going to be tough.”
At 38 years old, Pierce is well past his prime. The 10-time All-Star averaged a career low 6.1 points per game while playing an average of 18 minutes in 68 games (38 starts) this past season.
It was a dramatic statistical decline from a player that hasn’t performed at a high level on the court since his 15-year tenure with the Boston Celtics came to an end back in 2012-13.
Pierce remains under contract with the Clippers for one more season. At this point, it seems his decision is based simply on how he believes his body will hold up. Based on his production this past season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pierce call it quits.