Tyrese Maxey Details What P.J. Tucker Brings to Sixers

When the Philadelphia 76ers dropped their Game 6 matchup to the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, which sent them packing, Sixers center Joel Embiid had nothing but praise for one of his series rivals.

“You look at someone like P.J. Tucker, great player,” said Embiid back in May. “It’s not about him knocking down shots. It’s about what he does, whether it’s on the defensive end or rebounding the ball. You look at, obviously, defensively, he plays with so much energy, believes that he can get from point A to point B, and he believes that no one can beat him.”

Embiid claimed that up until that point, the Sixers never had an impact “tough guy” like Tucker. Meanwhile, Embiid’s teammates admitted the 76ers also lacked mental toughness in the playoffs, which is another area where a player like Tucker could’ve helped.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, they managed to snag Tucker in free agency. After the veteran forward declined his player option with the Heat for next season, he was on his way to testing the free agency market. In the opening minutes, Tucker inked a multi-year deal with the 76ers.

Now, young Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey looks forward to playing alongside Tucker, and he spoke about Tucker and the other acquisitions at his 1% Skills Camp, which took place in Philadelphia on Saturday morning. 

“I think the guys bring toughness,” said Maxey, according to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin. “They bring toughness to our team, and it’s gonna be great to see them at camp, and I can’t wait to get started.”

“I think they’ll definitely help us with mental toughness,” Maxey continued, per Carlin. “I think they’ll also help with just the physical toughness. The grit and the grind that we need to bring to our team and also, I think guys like PJ, he’s gonna bring the championship mentality. I think we’re really gonna appreciate him for that.”

As the Sixers are gunning for an NBA title, bringing a 37-year-old champion is undoubtedly the right move for a team in win-now mode.

While the Sixers’ title chances ultimately boil down to the key stars such as Embiid, Maxey, James Harden, and Tobias Harris — the added depth through free agency offers more experience and talent than the Sixers had before. 

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