Toronto Raptors draft: 5 times the Raps gave up on a draftee early
By Jason Mills
2. SF P.J. Tucker, 2006 NBA Draft, No. 35 overall
In 2006 the Raptors pulled off a rare feat mining a gem, rough and raw but a gem with great potential in the second round of the NBA Draft. Tucker, a small forward, was selected at 35. Standing 6-5 and weighing 245 pounds, Tucker had the girth and strength of a big but also guard skills.
He needed work, as his rookie season stats will attest to. He competed in just 17 games, receiving less than five minutes per game and averaging 1.8 points in that time. While Toronto would make a return to the NBA Playoffs in 2007, for the first time in five years, Tucker was not a major contributor to the team’s success.
He would then spend five years learning the game and developing his skills from Israel to Germany, with stops in the Ukraine and Greece in between. Tucker wouldn’t be denied his place in the NBA, returning in 2012 when the Suns offered him a two-year deal with a team option on the second year. Tucker has not looked back since.
Tucker has made a living defending everything from a 3-5 with consistency and is a competent catch-and-shoot player on corner threes. This year, on the recently crowned NBA Champion Bucks, Tucker shot the three-ball at 39.4%
He has fashioned a career as the consummate glue guy, a reliable substitute which is a player type the Raptors’ roster could use going forward.
Toronto had a second chance to employ the talented P.J. Tucker.
During their recent seven-year run to the playoffs in February of 2017, Toronto came calling on Tucker again, trading Jared Sullinger and two second-round picks with cash considerations to reacquire his talents for their playoff run that season. Once again, Toronto chose to let Tucker walk, as he signed a four-year $32 million contract with Houston.
To be fair, Toronto did not have a G-League franchise to try and help develop Tucker back in 2006, but they could have made a more concerted effort to keep this champion in the fold.