P.J. Tucker
Great might be a considerable stretch, but P.J. Tucker has really carved out a nice role for himself in the NBA as bruising undersized power forward and now, seemingly, the starting center for the Houston Rockets.
It didn’t start all that well for him back in 2006, though. Tucker was drafted with the 35th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the same draft where the Raptors took Andrea Bargnani with the number one overall pick – so, yeah, it wasn’t the greatest draft for the Raptors, especially since the class featured the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, and the Toronto Raptors own Kyle Lowry.
Tucker, like most second-round picks, didn’t pan out in his first stint in the NBA. In fact, he played just 17 games with the Toronto Raptors and split time with the Colorado 14ers – the team’s designated G-League affiliate for the season and was waived in March to facilitate a roster spot for Luke Jackson.
After five seasons in Europe, Tucker resurfaced with the Phoenix Suns and would become a key contributor while the Suns flirted with mediocrity for several years. In the 2017-18 season, Tucker would wind up back with the Raptors after the trade deadline and provided some much-needed defense and aggression off the bench.
It would be with the Rockets where Tucker earned – and continues to earn – the most success. He adjusted to life well as the teams starting power forward and meshed well with the perimeter centric style of play that has made Mike D’Antoni‘s roster successful.
Tucker has never averaged more than 9.4 points per game in his NBA career but his versatility saw himself back into the league and with two contenders and remain in that position. Now, he’s the starting center for the Houston Rockets and has averaged 37-percent from deep in his three seasons with the team.