Nick Crain

11/8/22

  During the offseason, P.J. Tucker signed a new three-year, $33.04 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have a ton of talent on the roster, but needed connectors to maximize the production of those stars on the team. One of the most coveted free agents on the market this summer was Tucker, who has been an impactful piece on contending teams for many years now.  At this moment, the Athledex platform projects Tucker’s Real-Time Contract Value to be $18.17 million, while he’s making $10.49 million this season.  Why this is a good deal for Philadelphia? Tucker is a proven winner that can get the Sixers over the hump in the postseason.  

Veteran Experience

Tucker entered the league in 2006 and has nearly 900 games under his belt. He’s played in 781 regular season games (585 starts) and 91 playoff games (78 starts) during his NBA career. A proven winner, he’s almost always elevated the ceiling of every team he’s played for. Furthermore, over the past decade he’s nearly always been on a winning team. More recently, he won an NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Tucker brings championship pedigree to Philadelphia. With that in mind, the Sixers did take a risk signing the 37-year-old to a three year deal. We project he’s well worth the investment today, but sustaining a high level of production through age 40 could be a challenge.

Positional Versatility

Tucker can play either forward position or small ball center on offense but can also defend three positions on the other end of the court. This will open up the rotations the Sixers can use against different teams and will become even more key in the playoffs when the game changes. The Sixers have two really good traditional bigs in Joel Embiid and Montrezl Harrell, but Tucker gives them a completely different look. Tucker has also been durable at his age, playing in all 82 games in two of the past five seasons and at least 70 contests in four of those last five.

Impact Beyond Box Score

Tucker’s raw stats have never been all that impressive to the average NBA fan. However, there’s no question he does things that don’t show up on the box score that impact winning. Between doing all of the little things and bringing toughness to his team, Tucker’s impact truly can’t be measured by stats. He’s a solid, versatile defender, but also a great motivator and leader on and off the court.

3PT-Shooting

The modern NBA is all about shooting, which is another reason Tucker is such a valuable forward. He’s a 40.7% shooter from beyond the arc in his playoff career and converted on 45.1% of his triples last season with the Miami Heat through 18 postseason games Tucker is shooting 42.9% from deep thus far in Philadelphia through the first few games of action this season. Furthermore, he’s one of the best corner 3-point shooters we’ve seen in recent history. Defenses can’t sag off of him, which opens things up for teammates.   2022-23 Salary: $10.9 million | Real-Time Contract Value: $18.1 million