Hustle just part of Tucker equation
How Raptor plays defence is unique skill, coach says
As aggressive and effective as he is on court, getting P.J. Tucker to describe his impact on the game is comparable to trying to score against him.
If it happens, it’s like pulling teeth. It doesn’t come easily.
Asked to describe what it takes to do his job, Tucker comes back with “It’s about 80 per cent effort and 20 per cent skill.”
And to be clear, his job begins and almost ends with stopping the other team.
Offence is gravy where Tucker is concerned, even if he is a reliable three-point threat from the corner.
But preventing the other guy from doing his thing, making it tough on the other team to score, is what Tucker lives for and his arrival has played a significant role in transforming this team from one that was legitimately concerned about its defence to one that now counts it as one of its strengths.
Head coach Dwane Casey isn’t buying the 20 per cent skill, 80 per cent effort breakdown that Tucker offered.
“He’s selling himself short,” Casey said. “The entire game is effort, but a lot (defending) is skill, a lot of it is reading. There are not a lot of guys in the league who can do what he can do, skill-wise and with his quickness and competing and busting up plays and knowing the plays of the league.”
Casey offered that Tucker, and what he brings to a team, is more unique than the player himself is willing to admit.
“It’s like three-point shooting, there’s not a lot of Kyle Korvers,” Casey said. “It’s a talent. Defence is a talent. To be able to move your feet, anticipate, read situations, is a talent.
“Some players are natural scorers. It’s a skill guys are scouted for. They’re defenders in college, they’re defenders in high school, and it’s a huge plus if they’re twoway, if they can shoot the ball. Right now, it’s not as sexy as a three-point shooter, a guy that can shoot the three or score a lot of points, but it’s something that’s badly needed to win on a consistent basis.”
Since Tucker’s arrival the Raptors have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA according to NBA.com stats.
It’s not all Tucker and he will be the first to tell you that. His arrival coincided with Serge Ibaka’s joining the team via trade. Ibaka has proven to be a defensive game changer in his own right.
Their arrival has seen those around them pick up their defensive game as well, and while a lot of media types are trying to credit Tucker, specifically with DeMar DeRozan’s amplified defensive buy-in, Tucker is having none of that.
“It’s not me, everybody’s trying to give me credit, that’s him buying into wanting to win on both ends of the court and just wanting to win period,” Tucker said. “That’s what he ultimately wants to do and he wants to do everything he can so we can win.”
How the Raptors arrived at this point, where they boast a defence everyone in the organization agrees they can be proud of, seems to be in question. But no one is talking about locating their missing defensive identity anymore.