Free agents the Milwaukee Bucks rightfully did not pursue – P.J. Tucker
There is no doubt that every Bucks fan appreciates what P.J. Tucker did to help this team win a title. With that being said, those warm fuzzy feelings were not a good enough reason to spend $14 million over the next two seasons for a player who turned 36-years-old in May.
Tucker was fantastic for stretches of defense on Kevin Durant, being so physical with the Nets star that Durant’s bodyguard stepped in between them. The Bucks desperately needed some physical play to help slow down the elite scorer, and Tucker left it all on the floor each and every night as he guarded Durant like it was his last possession. That is precisely why the Bucks traded for him before the 2021 deadline, giving them another reputable defender to throw at Durant nightly.
https://twitter.com/TheAthletic/status/1403411434894155776?s=20
While I appreciate Tucker’s contributions defensively, the fact that Tucker provided no offensive value whatsoever combined with his cost and age is enough reason to move on. Tucker was brought aboard for defense and to shoot corner threes. Well, in the playoffs, Tucker made just 32 percent of his 3-point attempts. Tucker finished the 2021 playoffs with a defensive box plus/minus of 1.7, very respectable, however, his offensive box plus/minus was -3.4, giving him a net -1.7 box plus/minus and leaving him at a dead even 0.0 value over a replacement player.