76ers’ PJ Tucker Campaigns for De’Anthony Melton’s Defense

Knowing they needed to improve the roster with more reliable two-way players going into the 2022 offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers added some seasoned veterans who bring value to both ends of the floor.

Philadelphia’s most notable signing in the offseason was the stout Three-and-D veteran PJ Tucker. The team’s most notable trade acquisition was the versatile guard De’Anthony Melton.

While many outsiders focused on Melton bringing value to the Sixers’ bench as a ball-handler, his defense is what ended up shining bright from the beginning of preseason up until late December in the regular season.

Melton’s brought a lot of value to both ends of the floor for the Sixers while doing it as a temporary starter in place of the injured Tyrese Maxey. And his defense has Melton’s veteran teammate thinking that he should end up on an All-Defensive team if the former Grizzlies guard remains consistent.

“De’Anthony’s good on defense every night,” said Sixers forward PJ Tucker. “I think he’s All-Defensive, All-Defensive team, he should be on one of those teams every year. He’s solid, strong, he’s quick, and he’s got good hands. And he cares. That’s the biggest thing. He cares, and he wants to play defense. On a nightly basis, he’s good.”

This year, Melton is second in the NBA for steals per game. He trails only Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby with 2.1 steals per game. According to Cleaning the Glass, Melton’s garnered a steal on 3.2 percent per play, which ranks in the top tier of the league at the guard position.

While Melton’s been a defensive standout throughout his three seasons in Memphis prior to joining the Sixers, he’s been even more productive on the defensive end of the floor with the Sixers. And as Philly climbs the defensive ranks of the NBA, Melton is one of the key reasons why they’ve found success on that end of the floor as the season unfolds.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.