Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker shares his deep bond with Houston

“Houston’s a blue-collar city,” Tucker said Wednesday. “So many hard-working, diehard fans. I’ve just kind of fallen in with them.”

Now 35 years old, the current contract for Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker expires after the 2020-21 season. He knows his next NBA deal might be his last, and he said earlier this month that he wants to retire in Houston.

Following Wednesday’s practice at the NBA “bubble” site in Florida for the restart of its 2019-20 campaign, Tucker elaborated on those comments and explained why he’s so passionate about staying in Houston.

“Houston’s a blue-collar city,” Tucker said in explaining his admiration. “So many hard-working, diehard fans. I’ve just kind of fallen in with them. He continued his commentary with a pointed example:

It’s so random, but I’ll just be at the grocery store and see a 70-year-old lady, and she’ll tell me how much she loves me and how hard I play. That stuff is really gratifying for me.

I feel like the city has done that for me, just seeing what I do and appreciating me. It’s easy to work hard for a team that really appreciates you. It’s definitely a place that I see myself retiring, and finishing out the last few years of my prime.

Known best for his defense, leadership, and corner 3-point shooting, Tucker is averaging 7.1 points (37.0% on 3-pointers) and 6.9 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game for Houston this season. Both the rebounds and minutes totals are the highest of Tucker’s lengthy career.

Tucker is also well known for his toughness, as evidenced by the fact that hasn’t missed a single regular season or postseason game since signing with the Rockets more than three years ago. Dating back to the 2012-13 season, he’s played in more games than any NBA player.

For the suddenly smaller Rockets, Tucker is the NBA’s shortest starting center at 6-foot-5 — but his toughness helps overcome a lack of length.

Time will tell as to whether the Rockets and Tucker can come to terms on a new deal. Last September, Houston GM Daryl Morey said the team typically waits to do extensions until players are “one year out” from their contract expiration, which will be the case for Tucker this offseason.

Once the 2019-20 restart concludes, that negotiating window will officially arrive for Tucker and the Rockets. Both sides appear to have ample motivation to search for a financial agreement.

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