James Harden Emphasizes P.J. Tuckers' Toughness

When P.J. Tucker was brought in during the offseason, the biggest trait that was talked about was his veteran leadership, being the only member of the team with a championship ring after the Milwaukee Bucks' 2021 finals run.

With the Philadelphia 76ers deep into their playoff run, his leadership has come up big, whether it's demanding more out of Paul Reed during a timeout or wanting more out of Joel Embiid on Sunday afternoon during Game 5.

James Harden, who played with Tucker during his time with the Houston Rockets, highlighted the veteran's work ethic and his mentality and how difficult it is to play against it in the postseason.

"We were teammates, so I know the work that he puts in, I know his will to win no matter what the stat sheet shows, I know how valuable he is." said Harden. "Going up against him in the past two postseasons, he's somebody that loves to win and plays winning basketball, and you need that on your team if you want to win a championship."

As Harden touched on, Tucker's impact isn't seen in the stat sheet, with the veteran forward only averaging four points and rebounds per game, which led some to argue that he wasn't worth his $11 million per year contract.

Instead, the beauty of Tucker's game lies in his commitment to his team, doing anything it takes to get the win, according to Harden.

"He's the guy that everybody needs on their team, that doesn't need the ball, that doesn't complain, and that is going to do all of the small dirty work that a lot of guys don't want to do," explained Harden. "A lot of guys want to shoot and look pretty, dunk the ball, get the ESPN highlights, but he's in charge, diving on the floor, he does all that, so he's a great addition to our team and very special."

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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