Philadelphia 76ers Team President Daryl Morey Explains Why They Went After P.J. Tucker
The loss of forward P.J. Tucker was the biggest loss for the Miami Heat this offseason.
Tucker's play against the Philadelphia 76ers in last year's playoffs was the reason the Sixers acquired him during free agency. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said they watched how Tucker impacted the second-round series against Philadelphia.
76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey explained how Tucker’s performance in the Heat’s second-round elimination of the 76ers helped shape that decision. “There are certain players who work well with James [Harden], so it’s natural to maybe look for that fit,” Morey said on a podcast with Philadelphia TV sportscaster John Clark. “Similar with Joel [Embiid]. Just finished playing a series [against] P.J. Tucker. P.J. was able to really impact that series in a lot of ways with his toughness, with his high-level defense, with his energy on the floor, with his offensive rebounding. And Joel correctly said, ‘Hey, we could use a guy like that.’"
Morey continued to gush about Tucker's play and how he can help the team improve.
“But at no point did Joel Embiid say, ‘We have to have P.J. Tucker.’ He happened to be available," Morey said. "If he hadn’t been a free agent, then we would’ve had to move in a different direction. It might’ve been a completely different direction from a P.J. Tucker; it might’ve been a different profile. Again, I think if you go in like, ‘We have to get X,’ that’s where you overpay. That’s where you create constraints for your ability to improve the team later.”
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Shandel Richardson is the Miami Heat writer for Inside The Heat. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA.
