The Philadelphia 76ers made their big move in free agency when they brought in veteran PJ Tucker on a 3-year, $33 million deal. While most scoffed at that deal, the Sixers had their eyes on adding a player who provides a toughness and edge in the postseason.
Considering Tucker has a championship on his resume (2021, Milwaukee Bucks) and he was a win away from getting back to the finals with the Miami Heat in 2022, he is the perfect man for the job.
When one looks at Tucker’s season averages of 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds for the 2022-23 season, one would think the Sixers massively overpaid for him. However, he was brought here for the postseason, and he made a big impact in the Game 1 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
“It just stands out more in the postseason,” Tucker told reporters of why his game stands out in the playoffs. “The postseason, you look at all the 50-50 balls, the loose balls, offensive rebounds. Like I said, when you get the extra kick-out 3s and the put-backs, that stuff matters.”
Tucker does all of those things during the regular season. However, over the course of an 82-game season, that stuff goes unnoticed. In the middle of a playoff series with so much on the line, all of that stuff comes to light. It changes games for his team.
“It’s just the focus and the eyes are on it because it’s the postseason,” added Tucker. “That’s stuff you try to do consistently throughout the year to win enough games to put ourselves in a position to be able to fight for a championship.”
The Sixers will continue to lean on Tucker to lead the way in the postseason.
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