P.J. Tucker

P.J. Tucker
SF/PF - 6’6, 245lbs - 33 years old - 7 years of experience

Reducing Tucker to the role of a three-point corner shooter offensively this season was entirely by design. Something that has been a part of his offensive game since his return to the NBA is now the vast majority of it; rarely if ever was he handling the ball above the break, nor even did he shoot much from there. It was all either a spot-up from the corner, or a very occasional foray of the rim.

Tucker was brought in to do this, to play undersized power forward, to crash the glass as best he could despite being only 6’6, and to play his usual brand of hustling havoc defence. The man who entered the league as a shooting guard is now seemingly a de facto ‘big man’ position player on the court, even playing quite a lot of small ball centre this season. Such is the unusual style of the Houston Rockets, a style that is made possible by having such a competitive and versatile defensive player as Tucker that allows them do it. The NBA’s move to going increasingly positionless may suit no one better than him.

Winning all the loose balls and being a key part of a switch-heavy defensive scheme that needs players that can track all opponents, Tucker was exactly as advertised for the Rockets this season. He was the heart of the team and the vocal leader that was needed with the departure of Patrick Beverley. As long as he is still fast enough to cover all the ground required to play this defence, he will continue to be.

Player Plan: Three years and $24,288,113 remaining, of which only two years and $18,887,764 is guaranteed. A decent enough price for what he brings but no one beyond the front three is invulnerable.

P.J. Tucker
SG/SF, 6’6, 245lbs, 32 years old, 6 years of experience

Brought in to shore up the perimeter defence at the forward positions, Tucker did a very good job of keeping players in front, being physical and guarding the post. He gave up some threes in the process, but he did the job that was asked of him defensively, along with crashing the board and spotting up from outside fairly well (from the corners and straight-in, at least). Entering free agency, money is needed elsewhere, and Carroll at his best minimises Tucker’s role. Perhaps even Anunoby can fill it. But for cheap, Tucker is a good candidate to re-sign.

Player Plan: Entering free agency off of a $5.3 million contract, which is the right sort of price for a couple of years to a player of his calibre and age. This is fair even with the addition of Anunoby.

[...] And then, of course, there is the defensive end, to which DeRozan pays less and less attention. Recent acquisition P.J. Tucker alluded to DeRozan's minimal defensive impact in his post game interview after the Raptors's recent win versus the Detroit Pistons - Tucker, it must be remembered, was brought in to play wing defense partly because DeRozan could not or would not do it.

[...] Similarly, Phoenix's strong start should not mean a change in philosophy away from the youth movement. Should their very early success continue and they find themselves firmly in the playoff hunt, the to-do list should nonetheless read the same as it did before the season tipped off. If he was to be shopped before, Channing Frye should still be shopped, and P.J. Tucker should be prepared to be packaged with him if need be. It is not a slant on the performance or talent of either of the pair. Indeed, if anything, it's an endorsement. If it looks as though they can help Phoenix with a playoff push, then they can help any contending team with theirs too, thus helping their value on the market.

Another former Raptors draft pick, Tucker spent a year and a half in the Ukraine with BC Donetsk, winning a Ukrainian championship in his first year. While leading the Ukranian Superleague about halfway through his second season, however, Donetsk went bankrupt, and were folded. Tucker had to find a new team, and will probably never find all those paychecks he is still owed.

Tucker improved his jumpshot a bit in the Ukraine, but it disappeared again in Israel. He is the same player he ever was; a 6'5 rebounder and defender without a great jumpshot, but who'll do a decent impression of an entry level Bonzi Wells. Players like this just need one person to love them for them to stick in the NBA - the somewhat similar Trenton Hassell just finished up $27 million contract - yet Tucker has not had this yet.

- P.J. Tucker

Like Clay Tucker, P.J. Tucker has had problems with Ukrainian teams recently. Tucker's problems are rather easy to define; his team folded. Tucker began the season with BC Donetsk, starting his second year with the team after being named a Ukrainian League All-Star (and Slam Dunk champion) in his first. But after 20 games with the team this year across all competitions, Donetsk were folded due to bankruptcy. They were leading the Superleague at the time.

After the bankruptcy, Tucker returned to Israeli, the league in which he won a title in 2007-08. He signed with Bnei Hasharon and has averaged 18.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 10 contests. Tucker has shot only 4-17 from three point range for Hasharon, and three of those makes came in the same game. But in his twenty games for Donetsk, Tucker shot 17/37 from down there. For a man whose outside jumpshot is regarded as his undermining weakness, this is good progress.