PHILADELPHIA–Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward PJ Tucker is one of those guys who can’t be judged by a box score. In Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Tucker only had three points, five rebounds, and two assists, but his presence was felt.
Tucker made life tough on Lakers star Anthony Davis and he made quite a few hustle plays in order to get the job done. The Sixers received ginormous games from Joel Embiid and De’Anthony Melton while James Harden made big plays in overtime, but Tucker played a part in the win.
Before the contest, Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who coached Tucker as part of Mike Budenholzer’s staff with the Milwaukee Bucks, gave a lot of respect to Tucker for the work that he puts in.
“Just his toughness, his grit, he really lays it on the line every possession,” said Ham. “He’s never satisfied. A total winner. I really enjoyed coaching him, tough as nails, will guard whoever you put in front of him. He was a huge, huge part in us winning the championship in ‘21 and I’m happy to see him in another good situation such as this.”
Tucker only averaged 2.6 points as a member of the Bucks when they won the title and he has made a similar impact with the Sixers despite not scoring the ball as much.
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