PJ Tucker Addresses 76ers’ Areas of Focus vs. Nets

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for their run in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the team is excited to have the veteran PJ Tucker on their side for this year’s stretch. Earlier this week, the Sixers returned to practice to begin preparing for their first-round series against the Nets.

Following their Wednesday afternoon session, Tucker addressed a few of the areas the team is focusing on as they enter the most critical stretch of the season.

“Just locking in on the little things,” Tucker explained. “Taking the ball out of bounds, no sloppy turnovers, being alert on defense from the start of the game.”

All season long, Tucker has been one of several Sixers to preach that Philadelphia’s two-way success begins on the defensive end of the floor. If the team can lock down defensively and get stops, the success will translate to other end and have the team firing on all cylinders.

“I think for us, when we’re aggressive on defense, we’re a different team on offense,” Tucker continued. “Then you translate into a lot of transition baskets and getting easier ones, and then we’re unstoppable because then you got to deal with (Joel Embiid) in the half-court. So our alertness in how they guard us and us being efficient in how we attack it.”

For the Nets specifically, Tucker credited the new-look roster for having a squad full of guys who can get it going on any given night. In the past, Brooklyn ran through its stars when the Nets employed players such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

While the Nets have their core guys that will require extra attention, notably the standout forward Mikal Bridges, PJ Tucker acknowledges their ability to get anybody going due to solid ball movement.

“The way they move the ball, they share the ball, they get a lot of threes up, and they don’t care,” Tucker finished. “Player to player, down the line, they move the ball, they give it to the next guy, and it’s hard to guard when everybody’s aggressive and ready to score.”

The Sixers will always like their odds against an opponent when the defense is clicking. With Tucker in the mix during this year’s playoff run, he’ll continue preaching that message.

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

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