Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics: Season Grade and 2013 Outlook

The expectations for Paul Pierce weren't exactly clear coming into the season. He started off the season injured, then when he returned from injury, he was out of shape.

His start to the season was subpar at best. Then, he slowly started to turn his season around.

In the end, he did have a very good season, even better than last year's campaign. Along the way, he treated us to many vintage Paul Pierce performances including six 30-point games and one 40-point game.

He also eclipsed Larry Bird on the Celtics all-time scoring list. In those regards, it was a great season for Pierce. But, for his seven games over 30 points, he also had seven games scoring in single digits, which is uncharacteristic for Pierce.

Still though, with the exception of seven great games and seven bad games, Pierce was consistently above average. 

The playoffs were no different. He had a couple of bad games and one great game while all the rest were very good. To be fair though, his playoff push was more impressive considering he played the whole playoffs on a sprained MCL.

Grade: B+

What he needs to improve on for next year

At this stage in his game, there is little Pierce can do to improve. His athleticism is declining, but he still is a great shooter that can pick and choose his spots as well as anyone. 

However, on the offensive end, he could really improve his passing and control of the ball. Turnovers were an issue for Pierce all season long. 

He didn't necessarily put up huge turnover numbers every night, but at times he was noticeably careless with the ball. 

If he can correct this, which he should be able to, then the Celtics will really benefit because most of his turnovers led to points for the opposition on the other end.

Expectations for next year

Pierce is one of the few players that we know will be back next season for the Celtics. It could just be him and Rondo of the Big Four returning next year. Therefore, the expectations may be higher than before.

Realistically, we can expect him to do what he's done best for his whole career: score. Sure, he will be even less athletic next season, but I still see him being able to score the same way and amount.

One year older and potentially without a one or two of the Big Four, Pierce will still find a way to be an All-Star and score close to 20 points per game.

Whether this will be enough to fuel another Celtics playoff run remains to be seen. 

Also check out Rajon Rondo's season grade, what he needs to improve on and his expectations for next season.