The summer of 2012 was a massive transition for the Phoenix Suns franchise. They moved on from the Steve Nash era, and were left to pick up what they could in order to begin the rebuilding process. One of their pickups was a former MVP, scoring champion and Finals MVP. That player is P.J. Tucker, and those awards were won in Israel, Ukraine, and Germany.
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The addition of Tucker by the Suns was low key. A former second round pick who had not played in the NBA for five years doesn’t draw a lot of press for signing a near-minimum contract. However, AZCentral.com‘s story on his signing three years ago contained a short paragraph that has come to define Tucker as a Sun.
"“Tucker is not being added for his stats, although he averaged 16 points for Brose. He can guard different positions, gives all-out effort and has the strength to move bodies.”"
Tucker immediately stepped in as a hustle and energy guy, and graduated up to the team’s primary wing defender. As the Suns have shuffled their roster through the last three seasons, Tucker has been a staple of consistency. To indulge in a hackneyed phrase, he is the heart and soul of the team.
As mentioned before, Tucker is characterized by his energy and effort, particularly on the defensive end. He works hard to play opposing offensive players as tightly and as physically as he possibly can. At 6’5″, Tucker doesn’t have the size to block shots easily or stop opposing bigs. He also doesn’t care. Watch how physically he suppresses DeMarcus Cousins in the post here.
Cousins can’t get an inch of breathing room to get the ball. That’s one under-the-radar way to suppress star players. Just do not let them ever touch the basketball.
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Tucker’s effort and physical strength make up for his lack of size, but not enough to make him an elite post defender at his position. Per NBA.com‘s player tracking stats, opponents shot 5.1 worse from three when defended by Tucker, but 5.9 percent better when within 10 feet.
That tells you the basics about Tucker. He’s a wing defender who thrives at hounding on the perimeter. This makes him a very useful asset for the Suns. He can be switched onto any player, because no matter how big, fast or skilled his opponent, Tucker will get into their heads by playing them as roughly as the rules allow.
Tucker combines his energy with a physically imposing body and acceptably fast feet.
Tucker plays this very well. He doesn’t react to contact, setting his feet and saying “I am not moving from this one stop!”. He gives a little and when Carmelo Anthony feels like he might have separation, he turns for the shot. Tucker is right back on it and gets his hands up quickly to interfere.
Tucker’s strength and activity translates into other facets of his game. He doesn’t have the size to be an elite rebounder, but he chases every loose ball, and has gained a reputation for getting needed boards in the clutch. There’s no physical advantage to him getting rebounds over bigger guys. He just tries harder.
On offense, Tucker doesn’t feature heavily in play packages, but he does find ways to get touches. When turnovers occur, and especially when he causes them, Tucker is quick enough to hit his stride in transition and get to the basket. Per NBA.com, he was used in transition 20.7 percent of the time.
He also can use his strength to finish through contact or get position on post-up shots, which makes it hard to just put smaller, weaker guards on him.
The high release point he has on his shot allows him to function well in half-court sets. Sometimes it’s in isolation post-up shots like above, where he can bump guys and create enough space to hit floaters or short shots. More often, Tucker is a safety valve for the offense off cuts to the basket or corner threes. This makes him excellent for the Suns’ system.
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When Eric Bledsoe is driving and realizes he’s getting nowhere, he can sling a pass towards Tucker in the corner or in the post, and if the defense cheats off him, Tucker can get the bucket. He can’t really create his own shot outside the post, but he finds ways to contribute.
This season, Tucker will have some competition for minutes with T.J. Warren if the latter lives up to expectations. While the minutes should be split evenly, Tucker should probably remain the starter. While he’s a decent defender for his experience level, Warren is not capable of reliably slowing star wings like Tucker is.
Tucker also should see an altered role in the offense. The Suns are limited by the fact that they don’t have enough good shooters, so Tucker’s decent range will likely need to be extended to a greater degree if Phoenix wants to space the floor sufficiently.
Nothing much else should change about Tucker’s role. He’ll still be given the toughest perimeter assignment, and he’ll still be the energy guy who gives more than the stat sheet says. If the Suns explore trades in the future, Tucker may be involved, because he’s older than the rest of the core.
For the time being though, Tucker is still the team’s garbage man, and the Suns will need his full effort to ensure their success this season.
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