Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been playing at an MVP level for most of the 2022-23 regular season, but Hall of Famer Paul Pierce thinks several players are in the running for the prestigious award.

During an exclusive ClutchPoints interview with the Celtics legend in late January, Pierce revealed that the current race for the NBA MVP award is way too close to call.

“I’ve been in the league a lot of years and been watching the NBA a lot of years and I’ve never seen an MVP race this tight with so many players,” Pierce said. “There are legitimately eight guys right now that are in the conversation for MVP.”

Including Tatum, who's averaging 30.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, Pierce thinks star players like Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and two-time MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets are in the MVP conversation. While “The Truth” didn't list every one of his favorite candidates for the award, he did assert that Tatum's top priority isn't bringing that trophy home.

“I’m sure Jayson Tatum would love to win the MVP award, but I think most importantly in his mind is winning that championship,” Pierce said. “If he doesn’t win the MVP and wins a championship I’m sure he’ll take that.”

Tatum has echoed a similar sentiment all season, as the soon-to-be 25-year-old has told the media multiple times that an NBA championship is what he wants the most for himself and the city of Boston.

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While the four-time All-Star hit a rough patch recently, he bounced back last night with a 41-point performance in a win over the talented Cleveland Cavaliers. Although some think the race for MVP is leaving Tatum in the dust, Pierce and other former NBA players still think he has a strong case.

But, as Jayson Tatum has said again and again, there's more important hardware to be won than the MVP trophy. The Celtics are still trying to capture the elusive Banner No. 18, as Beantown hasn't seen an NBA title since Pierce and the “Big Three” delivered one in 2008.