76ers Crown PJ Tucker as Most Important Piece in Win vs. Bucks
Since the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season, PJ Tucker has been under a microscope through his first stint with the Philadelphia 76ers. Since the seasoned veteran signed a significant three-year deal in the opening minutes of free agency during the offseason, Tucker came to Philadelphia with high expectations attached to him.
Many players in and outside of Philadelphia’s locker room have stressed that Tucker’s value to the team goes well beyond the box score. Following the Sixers’ Friday night victory against the Milwaukee Bucks at home, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers reiterated that much as Philadelphia picked up its third-straight win over Milwaukee in South Philly.
“It’s funny if someone didn’t watch this game, they’re going to look at the box score, and they’re going to see P.J. Tucker went 0-1, had four rebounds, two assists,” said Rivers after the game. “He may have been our most important player on the floor tonight.”
This year, Tucker has played in all 14 games for Philadelphia. Averaging 28 minutes on the floor, Tucker’s put up just 4.9 points per game on the offensive end. However, the Sixers understand that Tucker’s never been known to be a high-volume scorer in the NBA — and they don’t expect him to change that in year 12.
“He’s been to the mountain top, he’s won a championship, he knows what it takes night in and night out, and he demands it out of everybody,” said Sixers veteran Georges Niang. “I think that’s the best part. His unselfish play shows in his stat line, but at the same time, his stat line doesn’t show how much me means to us. He was tremendous tonight to slow Giannis up. Giannis was on a tear, and to slow him up and give us a chance to win us this game. Big rebounds, big tip-outs, just keeping us dialed in as a unit. That guy does not get enough credit, and he wins games just by being PJ Tucker.”
Joel Embiid’s game-leading 32 points in 36 minutes surely played a key part in the Sixers’ victory. So did Georges Niang’s 17 points off the bench. Several other players had their fair share of offensive contributions in the victory, but Rivers and the Sixers believed that Tucker was the most essential player on the floor Friday night.
“I said to our guys tonight [he was the most important], and they started clapping,” Rivers finished. “They saw it. It’s a great example of how you help your team sometimes, and it doesn’t have to be scoring. He was huge for us tonight in what he did. So, good for him and good for some of our young guys to see that.”
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
