Paul Pierce does not seem very impressed with Tyler Herro’s self-created nickname.
Herro has long described himself as a “bucket,” as in a walking bucket who can score at any time. There’s even video of him doing it in 2019 while still at Kentucky.
"I'm a bucket." —@raf_tyler in 2019
Herro has always been a bucket getter. @SECNetwork @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/E89TdQLI2K
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 24, 2020
That nickname came to the forefront after Herro put up 37 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, pushing the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination. Plenty of people delighted in using the nickname for the Miami Heat rookie.
Paul Pierce was not one of them. The former Celtic went out of his way to state that Herro needed to score more consistently to earn that nickname at the NBA level.
Paul Pierce on Tyler Herro "I can’t call nobody a 'bucket' if you ain’t averaging at least 20…if you average 11 I can’t give you 'I’m a bucket'" pic.twitter.com/3X96aeQiJ8
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 26, 2020
The first instinctive response would be that Pierce, a Celtics icon, is just bitter about what Herro did to his team. Add in that Pierce has a bit of an ego and you have some extra evidence behind that opinion. On the other hand, Pierce holds players to a high standard, and this may simply be that side of him coming out.
Whether Herro has earned the nickname or not, he joined some very elite company in Game 4. There’s no taking that away from him.
