SACROMENTO – PJ Tucker understands his reputation as a fierce nose player trying to speak out about his discomfort.
He accepts it – “I'm just a realist,” Tucker said.
But the 39-year-old, who officially became Nick on Monday, is also the encouragement of his struggling teammates, a trait raised in the context of Mikal Bridges' recent stumbling.
“I was there. I know what it will be. It's a long season. And when you're there, when you're doing bad shooting, when it's not going right, you need the person behind you to tell you that those are good shots,” Tucker said. “Tell me to keep working. Keep doing this, keep doing it. Stay with that positivity. You need it. And when you become a vet and are in the league, they're not going to do it like the younger guys or the bench ones. They don't have your back like that. So it's always good to have people who are like-minded with vets who have each other's backs. And that really makes the team stronger. They just know that they have people out there and they support you whether you're playing well or not. We're together.”
The Tucker Winning NBA experience is unique to a locker room where there is only one spinning player in his 30s. Josh Hart just fell below 30 last week.
After sitting all season hoping for trade from the Clippers, Tucker said he targeted the Knicks for his return in the shopping market.
He signed a 10-day deal on Monday and realized that if everything goes as planned, he will stick to the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Tucker's most important connection is a long-time client of agent Leon Rose, who now runs the Knicks front office.
“There were a few [options]. That was the problem – we're just picking the right place,” Tucker said. “I always felt that the Knicks were my first choice throughout the entire process, so I was happy to wait and make it happen.”
Tucker certainly had a long wait to return to NBA court.
He was defeated by the Clippers for most of the season, but left the team and the sides made a deal.
Tucker, who scored at least 81 games in five different seasons, was dealt multiple times as a pay filler, exempted, and signed with the Knicks.
To stay sharp, Tucker said he trained all seasons in Houston and Philadelphia.
“I felt like I was drafted again,” he said. “It's like a whole new and fresh energy, especially coming from home. That's not. Trust me, that's not.
“After almost missing, there's nothing short of it at all. So it gave me a different perspective, it made me appreciate more. It's not that I've never appreciated it. But it gives me that refreshing thing so that I feel like a child again.”
In the courts, Tucker was a specialist in Corner 3, which always operated with a strength of defence.
It's fair to question how much he has in the tank (especially after such a long layoff), but Tucker is sure he's “gaining my stripes again.”
The Knicks signed similarly to Taj Gibson last season. Taj Gibson was forced to act immediately due to his injuries, despite his plan.
Anyway, the intensely vocal leadership never fades.
“Obviously I'm welcome that,” Hart said. “We want him to be him. They signed him for a reason. He has to continue to get him here, part of which is the leadership aspect and the ability to voice.”
It may help younger teammates who need support, including Bridge. Bridge is not close to an impact comparable to the five first-round picks the Knicks gave up to acquire him.
Tucker's advice began with his first morning shootaround.
“It's actually easy [being a leader on a 10-day contract]Tucker said. “As I did now before I spoke to you – most young people [media] Everyone, we were sitting in court and I was talking to everyone, talking about the circumstances that were happening. [against the Kings]what the team needs, how can they improve, what they need to do.
“And it's funny that they're just coming to you and being drawn to you and a voice of why.”
