The 2022-23 NBA season has been filled with exciting moments, dazzling displays of scoring, and record-breaking feats, yet it has also been plagued by a persistent problem: load management. While the Boston Celtics don't really engage in this practice, Hall of Famer and Celtics legend Paul Pierce sees it as a threat to the entire league.

Pierce has never been one to shy away from the truth, and he kept it real with ClutchPoints during an exclusive interview prior to the controversial Celtics-Lakers game in late January.

“I truly do think that [load management] hurts the NBA,” Pierce said. “My suggestion, or my solution to try and solve that is to lessen the games. Lessen the number of games so that every game means more. I think that’ll solve that problem.”

With a nickname like “The Truth,” it's not surprising that the 2008 Finals MVP had an answer to one of the league's biggest issues. He's not alone in his concerns either, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has had to field multiple questions recently about load management and why star players are frequently sitting out regular-season games.

Paul Pierce's load management solution

The 2021 Hall of Famer went further with his load management solution, proposing a new magic number for a revamped NBA schedule.

“62 games, how many do you think you’re going to be able to sit for?” Pierce asked. “You won’t be able to afford to sit. It’s a race to the finish line because it’s such a long season with so many games you can afford to sit for some.”

The present regular-season schedule is 82 games long, and few NBA stars are participating in every one of those contests. For Pierce's former team, load management hasn't been prevalent. Celtics star Jayson Tatum has missed just four games all season, even though he's averaging a career-high 37.3 minutes per game.

Jayson Tatum on load management

That large workload didn't seem to stop Tatum on Wednesday night, as he dropped 41 points in a bounce-back win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the victory, he gave his own thoughts on the load management debacle.

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As for Pierce, he came up in an era of basketball when resting during the regular season was very uncommon. Over the course of the Celtics' impressive 2007-2011 run that saw them win an NBA championship, Pierce missed just 16 games in four regular seasons. Nowadays, that kind of durability is practically unheard of.

However, if anyone is going to match up with Pierce's longevity and toughness, it's Tatum. Plus, he has the C's looking as ready for a playoff run since the days of Paul Pierce and the legendary Big Three.