P.J. Tucker says he made a push to help bring Jeff Green to Rockets

“I knew, with the way we’re playing now, especially with no true big… that Jeff would be perfect,” said Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker.

Since signing with the Houston Rockets in February as an unrestricted free agent, reserve big man Jeff Green has been a revelation.

The 12-year NBA veteran currently backs up P.J. Tucker as a center in Houston’s small-ball scheme. In 13 games with the Rockets, the 6-foot-8 forward averages 11.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game, and he’s shooting 56.1% from the field and 41.8% on 3-pointers.

As the starter in that system and a respected veteran himself, Tucker knows more than nearly anyone about what it takes to succeed in that role. When asked before Wednesday’s team practice at Disney World about Green’s recent performances, Tucker said he wasn’t surprised at all — because he was one of the loudest voices calling for the addition.

“I knew, with the way we’re playing now, especially with no true big… that Jeff would be perfect,” Tucker said at Wednesday’s practice. “He can guard multiple positions, he can shoot the three, and he’s athletic. He’s not afraid to get down there and get dirty.”

Tucker continued:

When they first brought his name up, I was one of the first people to say, ‘We’ve got to have him.’ I’m glad that we did, and I think he’s going to be a big part of us being able to go as far as we want to go.

Though Houston lost the game, Green had arguably his finest performance as a Rocket on Tuesday night versus Portland. He scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench, and he connected on 5-of-9 shots (55.6%) from 3-point range.

As a midseason signing, Green has also benefited from an unusual late-season training camp, owing to the league’s COVID-19 hiatus. That extended practice period allowed Green to learn more and better integrate himelf within head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system.

“He played great,” D’Antoni said postgame. “He had a really good game. Jeff knows how to play, and he’s going to be very valuable to us.”

Through three games at the NBA “bubble,” Green has the second-best net rating among Houston’s eight consistent rotation players.

Now 33 years old, Green will look to continue his career resurgence when the Rockets return to action on Thursday night versus the Los Angeles Lakers (51-15). In contrast to the smaller Rockets (42-25), the Lakers typically feature a very tall frontcourt of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and often either JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard at center.

Green hadn’t yet been signed when the Rockets won at Los Angeles on Feb. 6, so Thursday’s game will be the first opportunity to see how he might fit within that potential playoff matchup. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. Central, with a national broadcast on TNT and a regional broadcast (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

[lawrence-related id=33189]