Houston Rockets: How P.J. Tucker has found his shot

Although he is regarded as arguably one of the best all-around defenders in the game of basketball, P.J. Tucker has surprisingly emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point marksmen and spot-up shooters with the Houston Rockets this season.

Despite proving to be one of the most important components to the Houston Rockets defense a year ago, P.J. Tucker‘s style of play was once neglected by the majority of NBA executives. For the man who starred alongside LaMarcus Aldridge at Texas, many wondered how his offensive game would translate to the next level.

The 33-year-old veteran — who was selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft — was regarded by most scouts as a undersized tweener. He displayed the ability to defend, rebound and score on the low post coming out of college, but his inability to initially develop a perimeter jump shot proved to be problematic during his rookie season with the Toronto Raptors.

"“There was nothing worse you could be than a tweener,” Tucker said when discussing the early part of his career in a recent interview with Jonathan Abrams of Bleacher Report. “There were so many good guys that were so good that were tweeners, and they couldn’t make it…when you got that label, it was going to stick. It was like getting branded.”“You can be in the league and still feel like you’re not in the league.”"

Now, the former All-American appears to have shaken those narratives off, as the player who was said to possess little range on his shot has helped lead Clutch City’s offense back to normality.

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Tucker — who shot 46.7 percent from long range during the 2018 NBA Playoffs — is currently shooting a career-high 47.7 percent from 3-point range, while posting an effective field goal percentage of 75.8 percent over the last five games for the Rockets. They’ve posted a 5-2 record over their last seven games to get within one win of the .500 mark.

"“Honestly, I don’t even know where we’d be without him,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said about Tucker, per Abrams. “He and Clint [Capela] really anchor our defense. More than any other player outside James [Harden] and Chris [Paul], he sets that tone.”"

Although it still remains to be seen if Tucker can continue to shoot at the following clips as the year goes along, one must think that he’ll still be efficient, as playing alongside Harden and Paul will only help the league’s sneaker king continue to generate clean looks in his second season with the franchise.

Throughout the first four and a half weeks the 2018-19 campaign, Tucker has been the recipient of shots courtesy of drive-and-kick plays. Either Harden or Paul search for screens set typically set by center Clint Capela, attack the painted area of the floor and work to force a defensive collapse inside before swinging it out to Tucker around the wing or corner area of the floor for an outside triple.

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This is an area where Tucker has proven to be the most effective throughout his time in Houston. He’s shooting over 42.9 percent and 65.2 percent on 3-point shots attempted from the left and right corners of the floor, respectively, through the first 13 games.

Should teams continue to intentionally sag off of the former Longhorns star to apply defensive pressure elsewhere, there is a strong possibility that Tucker might put himself in position to have his best offensive season ever. Hitting clutch shots — combined with his defense — could be just what the Rockets need from him to get back in their groove sooner rather than later … while also helping Tucker finally get the last laugh on his critics in the process.

Tucker and the Rockets will vie for their sixth win in their last eight games Thursday night as they get ready to face Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center.