The Milwaukee Bucks are back to being a well-olied machine and got their midseason reinforcement with P.J. Tucker.
All Bucks fans got to see and experience Tucker’ debut in their 120-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs, making for their sixth victory. His debut was far from productive, but Tucker showed the potential role that the Bucks envisioned him assuming upon making the deal for him last week.
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Of course, this serves as the latest stop in Tucker’s journeyed professional career and it’s one that’s defined by perseverance and against all sorts of odds. And with all of the motivation upon coming to Milwaukee, Tucker will bring his trademark hustle and heart to the Bucks as they contend and hope to come out of the East.
So without further ado, let’s learn more about the newest Milwaukee Bucks forward, P.J. Tucker.
Long before his Milwaukee Bucks stint, P.J. Tucker was a star at Texas University
Long before Tucker emerged as the consummate role player in the NBA, his basketball journey all started in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A star at William G. Enloe High School, Tucker was named the North Carolina Basketball Player of the Year in his junior season and during the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend held in Charlotte, Tucker had his jersey retired by the school. Despite his performance and feats at Enloe, Tucker was only a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.
That ranking ultimately didn’t dissuade Tucker from getting looks at powerhouses across the country and he ultimately decided to attend school at Texas University.
Playing with the Longhorns, Tucker quickly emerged as an indispensable role player for then-head coach Rick Barnes and played a part in Texas reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Tucker’s freshman season.
Tucker’s importance only grew for the Longhorns, just as their talent did as Tucker played alongside eventual NBA players like Daniel Gibson, Royal Ivey and LaMarcus Aldridge.
After a limited sophomore season that was hampered by academic eligibility issues, Tucker propelled him to his NBA future as he averaged a team-leading 16.1 points on .515/.667/.747 shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals in 37 appearances. For his efforts, Tucker was named the Big 12 Player of the Year.
After having won the Big 12 title that 2005-06 season, Tucker and the Longhorns reached the Elite Eight before getting bounced out by LSU in a 70-60 overtime defeat. Despite that heartbreaking end to his college career, Tucker was inducted in the school’s Hall of Honor last fall.