5 reasons why Paul Pierce is underrated

#3 He has never been a scoring title/MVP/DPOY contender

One of the primary filters a number of people apply for true superstardom in the NBA is that the said player should be a scoring title contender, or an MVP contender, or a DPOY contender. Paul Pierce does not check any of these three boxes.

He was a deadly scorer at his peak, netting 5 seasons with scoring averages over 25 points per game and 12 seasons with 19 points or more. But due to the presence of scoring powerhouses like Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, LeBron, Carmelo and KD through various phases of his career, Pierce was never in contention for the scoring title.

He wasn't a center or a point guard and did not run his team's offense or defense at any point, despite often being their best player on both ends. This hampered his way to MVP or DPOY honours - combined with the Celtics' non-historic regular season record during his years there.