Starting center P.J. Tucker has a simple fix for the slumping Houston Rockets, and it involves each player “looking in the mirror.”
“We’ve just got to get out of this funk,” the 34-year-old Tucker said after Sunday’s blowout home loss to Orlando, which represented the fourth consecutive defeat for the Rockets (39-24) overall.
Of the four losses, three have come against teams with losing records. Over the last three games, the Rockets — who still rank second in the NBA in net offensive rating (113.4) for the entire 2019-20 season — have sunk to No. 28 on offense (103.0). The defense has fallen off, as well.
For those asking why #Rockets are talking primarily about offense, some numerical perspective. Changes from the start of permanent small-ball (Jan. 31) to the last three games:
Offensive rating: No. 3 (116.6) to No. 28 (103.0)
Defensive rating: No. 11 (109.8) to No. 24 (117.2)
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) March 9, 2020
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Known best for his defense and leadership, Tucker is the only Houston player not to miss a single regular season or postseason game since joining the team before the 2017-18 season. Going back to the 2012-13 season, Tucker has played in 21 more games than any other NBA player.
When Tucker speaks, his teammates tend to listen. And after Sunday’s game, he made it clear that personal reflection is a priority for the Rockets, rather than pointing fingers and assigning blame to others.
Tucker said:
I think everybody has got to look in the mirror. It’s easy to point fingers and say that this guy does this, or we’re not doing this, and everybody has a solution. I think at the end of the day, if everybody takes care of themselves and coaches themselves, then we’ll be fine.
Since switching to the 6-foot-5 Tucker as their full-time starting center on Jan. 31, the smaller Rockets had won 10 of 12 games before the recent downturn. Though Tucker’s renowned corner 3-point shooting has fallen off during the skid, with an accuracy rate of just 21.4%, the veteran big man appears much more focused on reviving Houston’s defense.
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“I think it’s a mixture of our defense not helping our offense,” Tucker said on Sunday. “Our defense hasn’t been great. We’ve given up a lot of easy points, second-chance points. We haven’t been rebounding great. I think our defense can help our offense a lot.”
Tucker had just four rebounds in 29 minutes on Sunday, when the Magic out-rebounded Houston by a 49-38 margin.
P.J. Tucker on what the #Rockets need to do to turn things around: "I think everybody just kind of has got to look in the mirror. Look in the mirror. It's easy to point fingers and say that this guy does this, or we're not doing this, and everybody has a solution." pic.twitter.com/I3Ios7MP1e
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) March 9, 2020
Tucker also cited communication as another area needing improvement. “Our energy, communication, and just the effort that we’re putting out,” Tucker said in listing some of Houston’s points of emphasis. “I’m not saying we’re not playing hard, but we’re just not playing smart.”
Tucker and the Rockets will look to begin turning things around when they host the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves (19-44) on Tuesday night at Toyota Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Central time.
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