P.J. Tucker, one of the longest-serving players in the league in the past few years, has played for various championship teams in recent years. As long as Tucker is there, he will definitely be guaranteed for the playoffs, which shows how necessary players like Tucker are for championship teams. sex. However, looking back on Tucker’s career, although he started his career with the Toronto Raptors with the 35th pick in the second round in 2006, Tucker was only 21 years old that year. But the real beginning may not come until 6 years later, at the age of 27.
On November 2, Taiwan time, the Philadelphia 76ers sent star James Harden and defensive heroes P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrušev to the Los Angeles Clippers, allowing Harden to fulfill his wish to play for the Clippers. Although Harden first experienced a losing streak after coming to the Clippers, as Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook gradually got along and found each other’s roles, the Clippers slowly got back on track and even pulled off a team. Bo has an 8-game winning streak, during which the team averaged 126 points per game.
After Harden slowly found his position on the Clippers, 38-year-old veteran P.J. Tucker’s position on the team became increasingly embarrassing. Compared with the 76ers who were able to average 22 minutes per game at the beginning of the season, he played 12 games with the Clippers and only got 14.4 minutes of playing time. The overall shooting rate was only 28.6%, and the three-point shooting rate was a miserable 27.3%. , the corner three-point shot that used to be a lethal weapon has almost disappeared, and the defense is not as influential as before. In this way, it has slowly faded out of the rotation of Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue.
As one of the league’s longest players in the past few years, P.J. Tucker has played for various championship teams in recent years, such as the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Clippers. As long as Tucker is there, the playoffs are guaranteed, showing the necessity of players like Tucker for championship teams. However, looking back on Tucker’s career, although he started his career with the Toronto Raptors with the 35th pick in the second round in 2006, Tucker was only 21 years old that year. But the real beginning may not come until 6 years later, at the age of 27.
Tucker attended the University of Texas at Austin in college and played for three seasons. Tucker, who is 196 centimeters tall, mainly plays the positions of wing and forward. In college, Tucker had considerable ball rights on the team. His USG% in the three years of college were 21.9%, 23.1%, and 25% respectively. He was a highly relied upon source of scoring for the team. And Tucker did show his offensive ability in the college arena. After picking off the rebound on his own, he led the half court into the penalty area. Although he may not be able to dribble past the opponent with the first shot, he can use his footwork and size advantages. He can open up space, hit mid-range shots, and can also cause damage in high and low positions. Through these skills, Tucker averaged 13.4 points per game in college and shot 52.6% from the field. Tucker, who looks like an offensive kaleidoscope, may be a little different from most fans’ impression of Tucker.
Coming to the 2006 NBA draft, although Tucker showed his offensive skills and strong body advantage in college, the innate height disadvantage still made NBA teams who wanted to select him hesitate. The scouting report of that year described Tucker’s disadvantages like this: “If Tucker could be 6 or 7 centimeters taller, he would undoubtedly be selected in the top 20 picks. But at 196 centimeters, he would be taller than most players in the NBA. The shooting guard is still short, but Tucker’s skills make him stuck at the forward position, especially since it is uncertain whether he can guard the NBA’s big men.” Despite this, the Toronto Raptors still took the 35th pick in the second round. Both hands reached for Tucker.
Although they successfully entered the NBA, the Raptors at that time had Andrew Bargnani, who was drafted with the No. 1 pick, Spanish player Jorge Garbajosa, who had just signed, and Morris Peterson, who was just having his career year, as well as a wing with a better figure than Tucker. , forward player, Tucker can only sit on the bench and work hard in the Development League. Tucker ended up playing in only 17 games as a rookie, averaging 4.9 minutes per game and a dismal 1.8 points.
After a dismal rookie season, Tucker was released by the Raptors at the end of the season. After being abandoned by the Raptors, Tucker joined the Cleveland Cavaliers’ summer league lineup, and then began a five-year overseas career, visiting Israel, Ukraine, Italy, and Germany.
Tucker’s five years overseas (2007-2012) were full of achievements. In the first year of his overseas career (2007-2008), he won the MVP of the Israeli Basketball League and was selected to the first team of the year. He also led Hapoel Holon, who played for him, won the first league championship in team history. The next year (2008-2009), he went to BC Donetsk of the Ukrainian Basketball League to play for BC Donetsk. Tucker led the team to a third-place finish. In the 2009-10 season, the BC Donetsk team they originally played for declared bankruptcy mid-season and was disqualified, so they returned to the Israeli team Hapoel Holon where they originally played. In the 2010-11 season, Tucker first signed with the Greek team Aris BC. After being released, he signed with Sutor Basket Montegranaro of the Italian League. In the last season of his overseas career, Tucker chose to join Brose Bamberg in the Bundesliga. He eventually led the team to win the league championship that season and won the MVP of the championship game.
Tucker has dominated almost all major leagues in Europe for 5 years. Although he has shortcomings in size, there are almost no players in Europe who can stop him with such a heavy tank body. In particular, Tucker, with such a strong body, can pull up the flag and shoot jumpers after the pick and roll, one-stop fast break, low singles, mid-range jumpers, and can even grab offensive rebounds and then tip-in, and receive lob passes from teammates. On the defensive end, he can also cause trouble to opponents, using his thick body to open up space and win rebounds. Tucker has almost become an offensive and defensive machine in the European League.
“The experience of playing overseas has taught me how to be a professional player, how to become better, and it has also made me smarter. Although I don’t know how the team will use me when I return to the NBA, the overseas experience has taught me Play every position on the field.”
—P.J. Tucker
His good performance overseas also brought Tucker back into the spotlight of NBA teams. Before the start of the 2012-13 season, the Phoenix Suns decided to sign Tucker and immediately made Tucker one of the rotation players the team relied on. He played 79 games throughout the season, starting 45 games, with an average playing time of 24.2 minutes, 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, and won the starting position in the second half of the season. Compared to playing the core role of offense in Europe, Tucker’s role with the Suns has changed significantly. Tucker uses his size advantage to fight hard on the court and help the team on the defensive end. Tucker can be seen in every inbounds ball scramble. You don’t need to take a lot of shots or score a lot of points to be able to help the team on the court, fully embodying the spirit of the “Glue guy”.
In the 2013-14 season, Tucker consolidated his starting position. He started 81 games throughout the season. In 30 minutes of playing time, he contributed 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds, plus 1.4 steals. He grabbed 2.0 steals per game. offensive rebound. The Suns’ record also improved from the last place in the group with 25 wins and 57 losses the previous year to the third place in the group with 48 wins and 34 losses. Unfortunately, the Western Conference was as fierce as an arms race that year, which prevented the Suns from making the playoffs. Tucker’s good performance earned him a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension with the Suns after the season. For a player who traveled around Europe to play in the past few years, this may have been something Tucker had never thought about.
“PJ is one of the toughest, toughest players in the league,” “We love his enthusiasm and passion for the game.”
—Ryan McDonough
Then-Suns GM Ryan McDonough described Tucker this way. It’s a pity that the Suns have been unable to make any gains. In the three seasons after the contract extension, the Suns’ winning rate was unable to exceed 50%. In the 15-16 and 16-17 seasons, the Suns ended up second to last in the division and the winner respectively. Tucker, whose contract is about to expire, was also traded to the Toronto Raptors in the early stages of the Eastern Conference during the 2016-17 season. The arrival of Tucker will increase the Raptors’ lineup flexibility and depth on the wings and forwards. In particular, Tucker has developed stable three-point accuracy during his time with the Suns and is better at shooting three-pointers from the corners on both sides.
Tucker, who became a free agent after the 2016-17 season, decided to sign a four-year, $32 million contract with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets, led by James Harden, had already become a Western Conference power before Tucker arrived, trying to challenge the Golden State Warriors’ status at the time. Under the leadership of head coach Mike D’Antoni, the Rockets have one of the best offensive firepower in the league, especially Harden and Chris Paul’s ability to cut behind center screens and create offensive opportunities. It can almost be said that Tucker’s ability to make three-pointers from the corner Take it to the extreme. Coupled with Tucker’s ability on the defensive end, he has proven that he is one of the top defenders in the league. In Tucker’s first year with the Rockets, the Rockets improved their record to 65 wins and 17 losses, ranking first in the Western Conference. However, in the playoffs, Chris Paul still lost to his injury curse, leaving Harden alone and still lost to the Warriors after seven fierce games. However, Tucker did play a very important defensive role in the series. He even scored 22 points and made 5 three-pointers in the second game of the conference championship game. Throughout the playoffs, the three-point field goal percentage was as high as 4.67, averaging 2.1 shots per game.
However, as Paul ages and Harden is determined to leave, the Rockets will never be able to gain anything in the following seasons. Although Harden’s good friend Russell Westbrook was traded and the team’s center Clint Capela was traded away, allowing Tucker to move to the 5 position to create more offensive space, he was still eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals. Tucker played a total of 268 games with the Rockets, averaging 6.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
With the disintegration of the Rockets, the 35-year-old Tucker was also traded to the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2020-21 season. Although Tucker missed 20 games that season due to various lower back injuries, he made an immediate impact once he returned to the lineup and began to serve as the team’s starting four in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Brooklyn Nets. No. 1, the confrontation and physical combat with Kevin Durant in the playoffs became one of the highlights of the entire series. Tucker also played 38 minutes in the seventh game of the series, scored 3 three-pointers, and produced all-around defensive data of 3 interceptions and 2 blocks, ultimately helping the Bucks pass the game and successfully help the Bucks. Won the championship for the first time in 50 years.
“I know Durant will score 50 points, but even if I let him score 50 points, I have to make it very hard for him.”
—P.J. Tucker
After winning the championship, Tucker chose to move to the Miami Heat in South Beach in the free market and continued to help the Heat achieve good results. The season ended with the first record in the Eastern Conference. Tucker started 70 games for the team, averaging 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. However, the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Championship, and Tucker missed the opportunity to advance to the championship game for the second consecutive year. After losing in the Eastern Championship Series, Tucker, who had a player option, chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers and renew his relationship with his good brother Harden, who he had worked with before. However, despite the team’s record of 54 wins and 28 losses in the regular season, it was still unable to help the Sixers break through the playoff stall.
As he gets older, Tucker’s lateral movement speed on the defensive end is not as fast as before, and the accuracy of three-pointers also slowly declines. In the 2023-24 season, Tucker, who was with the Sixers at the start of the season, was traded to the Clippers along with Harden. Under the coaching of Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, wing forwards like Tucker who were unable to shoot three-pointers were quickly abandoned by Lue and have not played in nearly a month. As Tucker was continuously frozen on the bench, reports began to emerge that Tucker was dissatisfied with the current situation, and Tucker later confirmed this state of mind to reporters. “I know what my own value is, I know what contribution I can bring to the team, and because of this, I hope I can go to a good team that I can help.” Tucker told reporters.
Although he has no chance to play, unlike most players who are dissatisfied with the team, we can still see Tucker sitting on the bench competently in every game, cheering and applauding the team. Although Tucker has never been an All-Star or a main scorer, he is definitely the top “role player” that has ever appeared in the NBA, and he has demonstrated what a role player can do to the extreme. The NBA, which is more modern and emphasizes teaming up of stars and competing for stardom, adds a different kind of fun to watching the game. Especially after being abandoned by the NBA, he was able to rely on persistence and perseverance to return to the NBA court 6 years later. I think this is one of the most classic “Never Give Up” stories in the NBA.
2024-01-20 04:18:51
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