The L.A. Clippers announced last Sunday that the veteran forward P.J. Tucker will be away from the team until his situation is resolved. Tucker picked up his $11.5 million option for the season, the final year of a three-year $33 million deal he signed with the Sixers in 2022.
The 6'5" forward does not want to earn money easily by sitting on the bench. P.J. feels he still has something to give and wants to play. According to former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas , Tucker should make the best out of the situation and be happy with where he is because even though he was still in Philly, he wasn't producing much.
"You started all 75 games last year, you averaged 3.5," said Gil. "You knew you wasn't really a starter, just the situation you was in, you got the start. This year, came back, you wasn't a starter. You can be you, or you can be Greek, the Freak brother."
Tucker wants his minutes
Former Texas Longhorn is a 12-year pro who is known for his defense, three-point shooting, and toughness. He has always been a key player for the teams he's played for. However, minutes have been hard to find since he was traded to the Clippers as part of the James Harden deal.
After averaging 25 minutes per game during the 2022-23 season, he logged only 15.0 minutes per outing for the LA franchise while playing just 28 games for them last season. Last February, the NBA fined him for actively seeking a trade. He finished the season in the City of Angels, but the drama is clearly not over.
"If I'm gonna pay somebody $5 million," added Arenas. "Thanasis will be paid $5 million before you P.J. I'm sorry, how he presents himself. You should be more of Thanasis than acting like James Harden."
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Thanasis has been a happy camper in the NBA
Instead of acting like a diva and demanding a trade like Harden, Arenas advised Tucker to just 'enjoy' his NBA tenure like Thanasis Antetokounmpo . Giannis' brother played the past five seasons in Milwaukee. Still, despite playing just 7.7 minutes per game, he never complained about his lack of minutes and opportunities.
It's hard to compare Tucker to Thanasis, though. P.J. is an experienced veteran who has played 883 regular-season games and started 90 out of 104 playoff games. He has a 7.0 PPG playoff scoring average with 1.5 three-point makes per game at 40.4% accuracy. Meanwhile, Thanasis is in Milwaukee because he is Giannis' brother.
However, as Gil pointed out, Tucker did not look elite during his final full season in Philly. At 39, he is already on the decline, but it seems he is not ready to accept it yet. Suppose he wants to hang around longer in the league. In that case, he has to lower his expectations and be a happy camper like Thanasis.
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