*tip toes in the thread* melo would be a good option to give pj tucker some rest sometimes "runs away giggling*
Tucker is playing too many minutes. But his "stats" don't always tell the story of what goes on out there. Please understand, his "defensive communication" on the blackline is paramount. It cascades. THIS is why MDA plays him so much. It is also a key part of Ariza. Capela has gotten better, but he is not at PJ's level right now in that aspect.
I absolutely understand how important PJ is . All the more reason to make sure he doesn't get too banged up . Also you can have the best defensive smarts in the world , but if your body can't keep up it doesn't matter .
Clark also seems to have that D communication and efficiency as well. Perhaps not quite Tucker's level yet. Both are offensive liability with broken shots right now.
You had me until ... Kevin Love. Rather have Aaron Gordon, Marcus Morris, Marvin Williams, Bobby Portis even Anthony Randolph. Defense first on this team for any player not named Harden.
I love this guy and I'm very happy to have him on this squad but Daryl needs to be looking for an upgrade at the pf position because PJ needs to be coming off the bench. His offensive inefficiency is killing us and he's starting to have huge defensive lapses. There is no reason he should be playing 36 minutes a game. We need PJ on this team but the pf position needs an offensive upgrade.
In an offense where 2 players will always stand in the corners, and Tucker is hitting over 40% of over 4 attempts from the corners, he is not a problem at all on offense. It is EXACTLY why you would want from your 5th option among the starters. You feel a lack of diversity and playmaking in the offense, but I think the main reason for that is the absence of our 2nd and 3rd best playmakers + the added defensive attention Tucker receives because of their absence. On defense, he is excellent as always. He has more lapses because he's defending way more possessions and he is playing fatigued on many of them. It would be nice to have a taller backup 4 to rest Tucker and to take over taller defensive assignments at times.
Once again, I love PJ, I have two Tucker jerseys (4, 17) so I want him to stay on this team but that 40% is very deceiving, he's taking 4.9 three pointers a game and only making 1.9 of them = 39%. Yes he brings toughness and yes he is vital to this teams defensive bite but 8 ppg, 6 rebs doesn't warrant 35.2 minutes a game. I love P.J but this team needs an upgrade at pf badly
The kevin love who is terrible defensively, oft injured, making 30+ mil for the next 5 years is an upgrade? no thanks
You're not looking at the value he brings. He's making more than 40% from the corners (and obviously more on wide open ones), the numbers you are citing are his overall 3pt shooting numbers. We literally do not need him to score more (we are already an elite offensive team desperate for more defense) and we do not ask him to score more and if someone came on board who can create shots with the ball in their hands that money would be wasted because we have hands on this team that can create better shots than anyone we can get. The value in Tucker is not in the fact that he makes 1.9 of them, it's in the fact that when he's in the corner his defender knows that he can either let Tucker hit 50% of uncontested 3's from the corner or try to collapse on Harden's drives or Paul's mid range bombs. He can hit 4-5 of them if the Warriors collapse on Harden/Paul. It is not a reasonable position that the Rockets absolutely need more than that from their 5th ranked starter on offense. There are contenders with far worse starters as a 5th offensive option. Tucker's defense is elite except where there is a dramatic combination of athleticism and skill with his opponent and even then he won't let them exceed their typical averages and he will disrupt whoever he's guarding on a switch. I haven't even discussed his defensive leadership which influences Harden, Capela, House, etc and sets a culture for them and our young guys like Clark/House who are on the cusp of breaking through as legit rotation players. You need a form a fuller position. If Draymond Green is worth $15-$20m because his defense and passing is elite, then Tucker is only a tier below that star level. How can that not be sufficient as a 5th offensive option, an elite defender, no turnover, always hits open shots, $8m player who as a starter helped us go 3-2 up on the "unbeatable" Warriors. Tucker is playing 3-4 minutes more than he should be playing and his backup is Gary Clark. Give Tucker that breather and the quality of his play will improve. Offer Tucker to any NBA team needing a starting PF and they will scramble to get it done. PJ Tucker starting is not in this team's top 10 problems.
18 ppg, 11.3 rebs, and a career average of 37% from three. That's an upgrade. Spelling with a hard-nosed P.J coming off the bench full of gas is how you deal with the injury concerns. Plus his injuries are mainly contact injuries
that doesn't say much about being an upgrade. he is not nearly good enough offensively to offset how bad he is defensively, especially against the elite teams which is the big picture. easy pass
