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Houston Rockets 3-and-D specialist PJ Tucker is looking to gain major ground after what he feels was a 2018-19 season in which his team regressed, falling shy of the 65-win mark from 2017-18 and failing to reach the Western Conference Finals after once again running into their nemesis in the playoffs.
Furthermore, Tucker is looking to make the most of the team's new addition, Russell Westbrook, and determined to help him win at all costs:
Article Continues Below“Next season? I’m looking to win, man. That’s it,” said Tucker, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “I mean, when you don’t win it, all you can think about is winning, and that’s all I think about is how much we can win and get better as a team. Feel like we took a small step back last year during the regular season and the postseason, and this year I’m looking to take a couple steps forward.”
Tucker and his teammates will have to transition from a true floor general in Chris Paul to a triple-double machine in Westbrook, but Tucker isn't worried about the adjustment period, but rather the end result:
“We lost a great player, we got a great player,” said Tucker. “We got a lot of guys back. We still got a core of our team. You know, it is what it is. It’s the NBA, changes are made. All you do is look at yourself and your teammates, keep your eyes on the next season and try to go after it, so now I plan to do that this year.”
“I’ma do what I do, man. I’ll help Russ in any way I can. I’m gonna be one of the leaders on the team, (especially) defensively. I’m just gonna do me, I’m gonna do what I do every single night to the best of my ability.”
Westbrook's fit is more a matter of how much James Harden is willing to cede, rather than Tucker, who is a spot-up shooter who does the dirty work at the offensive end while taking on the best player on defense. At this point, Tucker's best help will be to make open shots and crash the boards with the same intensity that has made him such a valuable cog for this team.
