In Houston’s penultimate game of the 2019-20 regular season versus Indiana, veteran forward P.J. Tucker left early with an apparent hand injury after getting it briefly stuck in Victor Oladipo’s jersey.
It didn’t keep Tucker from playing in Friday’sfinale, even though that game had no meaning to the Rockets, and it also isn’t expected to sideline him n the 2020 NBA playoffs. Head coach Mike D’Antoni said it was a nagging injury that had bothered Tucker throughout the season.
At Monday’s practice, Tucker elaborated on the situation and said it traced back to a hit he took in a January game versus Minnesota, which led to nerve damage. The injury occurred when Tucker ran headfirst into an illegal screen set by Minnesota’s Gorgui Dieng, with the Rockets initially calling it as a “stinger.” In his latest comments, Tucker said he’s played with no feeling in his hand during some games this season.
I don’t think about it, I just play. The Minnesota game in January, I took a hit to the neck, and I had some nerve damage. So I’ve been fighting that all year, sometimes playing with a numb hand, to where I have no feeling at all. I’m still playing and not missing games.
That’s just me. I don’t report [it] or cry about it, or any of that stuff. It’s something I just fight through and play. It doesn’t matter, it’s a non-factor.
This is the play where PJ Tucker was injured against the Wolves. #Rockets https://t.co/INkfsxXNAY pic.twitter.com/3D1Z8e2HRZ
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) August 17, 2020
Somehow, Tucker never missed a single game. He’s played in every regular season and playoff game since signing with the Rockets in July 2017, and he’s played in the most games of any NBA player since the 2012-13 season. As a 6-foot-5 starting center for the undersized Rockets, Tucker is often asked to defend some of the league’s biggest and most physical players, and it still hasn’t sidelined him even once.
Tucker had previously said that extended rest, rather than any surgical procedure, was the best way to correct the nerve problem.
PJ Tucker says he has “nerve damage” in his right shoulder after suffering a stinger against Minnesota on Jan 11: “It’s tough-When u got nerve damage it’s really hard. It’s something I don’t complain about.” Says the only thing that will fix it is rest & there’s no time for that pic.twitter.com/JKFK0xFFrB
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 21, 2020
Now 35 years old, Tucker averaged 6.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in a career-high 34.3 minutes per game this season. Known best for his versatile defense, leadership, and toughness, Tucker is also valuable as a corner 3-point shooter for the Rockets, having made 36.9% of his treys over three seasons in Houston.
As for the present, Tucker will initially line up against rugged Oklahoma City center Steven Adams when the Rockets and Thunder face off in their first-round playoff series. Game 1 tips off at 5:30 p.m. Central on Tuesday evening, with a national broadcast on TNT and a regional version (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
[lawrence-related id=36295,32009,22518]