Rockets’ P.J. Tucker isn’t the Golden State Warriors savior
The Golden State Warriors are looking for their savior at the 2021 trade deadline, and it’s not going to be Houston Rockets’ forward P.J. Tucker. However, Tucker would enhance the Dubs roster on both ends of the court.
Available for trade and likely to officially part ways with the Rockets in the next few days, Tucker is going to be traded or bought out. If he’s bought out, the Warriors should highly consider signing him with their disabled player exception.
Despite needing to make a trade, the Golden State Warriors shouldn’t think that P.J. Tucker is going to save this team come playoff time.
Tucker is a solid role player, and one may even call him an elite player to pair with a superstar. While Tucker may be a great rotational player, it’s tough to envision him as a star that makes the team noticeably better.
It was James Harden who make P.J. Tucker the renowned player that he is today.
The veteran forward’s points per game have almost been cut in half since Harden has been traded. The former MVP makes everyone he plays with better, so it’s not shocking to see Tucker’s percentages go down.
But, that’s just how he plays. Tucker is a hard-nosed defender and a solid rebounder for his stature. He plays much bigger than he is, but the Warriors have a player like that in Draymond Green.
Tucker is averaging just 4.4 points per game this season. Last season, he was at 6.9 points per game, and the season before that he was at 7.3.
The more notable part of Tucker’s decline in play is his efficiency. Tucker is a much less efficient player, shooting under 37 percent from the field this season. He’s also averaging under a three per game for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.
No one expects Tucker to come and revolutionize the team like Bradley Beal may, but he’s dependent on an MVP-like talent finding him in optimal situations. 81 percent of his two-point field goals and 100 percent of his three-point field goals this season have been assisted on.
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Even if Tucker gets brought in, it’s still going to be Curry against the world which doesn’t bode well for the Warriors. He could be a strong solution to their frontcourt depth or lack of shooting in the frontcourt, but he’s not going to be the team’s savior.