Tyrese Maxey Thrilled to Have PJ Tucker on Sixers’ Side vs. Cavs

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey enjoyed the benefit of having PJ Tucker on his side Wednesday night.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid didn’t hold back in his final press conference of the 2022 NBA playoff run. When discussing the series against the Miami Heat, where the Sixers lost in six games, Embiid praised his opponent PJ Tucker for being an X-factor who dominated Philly.

Embiid publicly urged the Sixers’ front office to snag a player similar to Tucker. Months later, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey landed Tucker after the veteran forward declined his player option with the Heat.

After getting the night off on Monday, Tucker’s Sixers debut was pushed to Wednesday. With the Cleveland Cavaliers in town, the Sixers hosted the first of their two preseason games in South Philly. Wednesday marked the first time Tucker appeared in a Sixers uniform.

Offensively, Tucker had a quiet night. In 17 minutes on the floor, the veteran put up just one shot, which was unsuccessful. When his night concluded, he was the only Sixers starter to finish without logging a single point.

That’s not an issue for Philly, though. Tucker’s value goes way beyond the box score. And Philly’s young standout guard Tyrese Maxey understood that when his team faced Tucker and the Miami Heat last postseason.

After going against Tucker for a series of games back in May, Maxey was happy to share the court with the veteran forward as the 76ers benefitted from Tucker’s quiet value against the Cavs.

“It was great, man,” said Maxey after playing with Tucker for the first time. “His intensity is next level. He got like four offensive rebounds in one possession. It was great to be on the right side of that. Last year, he was getting offensive rebounds, like you know, it’s easy to say, ‘Box him out, box him out, box him out.’ It’s not easy to really do it. So, it was good to see him on our side doing that.”

On the defensive end, Tucker boosts the Sixers’ chances of building a much stronger defensive team in comparison to last year. On Wednesday, Maxey pointed out the veteran’s versatility.

“He’s able to guard so many different people on the other end,” Maxey continued. “He can guard guards, he can guard bigs, he can switch one through five, and he can do whatever he needs to do. Then, his championship mentality, championship communication is a thing that we really, really need here.”

The Sixers believed Tucker was the primary reason why they couldn’t get past the second round of the playoffs last season. Now, they hope to benefit from his presence on their end as they approach the 2022-2023 season. So far, it seems Maxey and the rest of the organization are seeing the veteran forward live up to expectations. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.