Kansas Basketball: 15 greatest scorers in Jayhawks history
By Brian Rauf
Greatest scorers in Kansas basketball history: 4. Paul Pierce
“The Truth” is best known for his illustrious future Hall of Fame NBA career spent mostly with the Boston Celtics, but Paul Pierce was superb during his three years with Kansas as well.
Pierce was an exciting role player as a freshman averaging just under 12 points per game, but he proved he could carry the load alongside Raef LaFrentz as a sophomore, averaging 16.3 points on 48.8 percent shooting.
However, Pierce’s junior year is when he officially made the leap and became KU’s go-to offensive player. He averaged a team-high 20.4 points per game that season, earning him consensus First-Team All-American honors alongside LaFrentz.
It was in Lawrence where Pierce perfected his power slashing game and turned himself into a lethal scorer by the time he left for the NBA. His size and athleticism allowed him to do other things, but few others were wired to score quite like Pierce.
He finished his Kansas career with 1,768 points, which puts him 10th in school history, despite playing just three seasons. He was drafted No. 10 overall by the Boston Celtics in 1998 and went on to become one of the best players in the NBA.