Knicks' P.J. Tucker wants to bring toughness and voice of experience to team
P.J. Tucker looks on from the bench as the LA Clippers face the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter at State Farm Arena on February 05, 2024 in Atlanta. Credit: Getty Images
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — P.J. Tucker was on the court Monday morning at the Golden 1 Center, adorned in a pair of sneakers — one orange, one blue — to celebrate his arrival with the Knicks.
“Celebrate’’ might seem an exaggeration for Tucker, given that he was just signed to a 10-day contract after sitting out the entire season while being shuttled from the payroll of the Clippers, Jazz and Raptors before being waived on Feb. 28. But Tucker insisted that this is an opportunity he has been waiting for. It is a chance to provide a veteran presence to a contending team.
“It was a process,” he said after finishing his first workout with the Knicks as they prepared for Monday night’s game against the Kings. “But I wanted to go somewhere that I could be me, where I could continue to get better even 20 years in. Be with a group of really good young guys and vets that are trying to achieve something. And they got a chance to do it. So [I’m] just here to help any way I can.
“It was interesting. Because I was like, I’ve never been on a 10-day before. It’s different. But I was willing to do whatever I could to be able to be on this team. I’ve kind of done it all already, so for me, it’s not a big deal. I’m cool with earning my stripes.”
If things go as expected, the 6-5 Tucker likely will be with the Knicks for the remainder of the regular season. He’ll be able to sign a second 10-day contract and then a deal to finish out the regular season while eligible for the playoffs.
It may seem a humbling way to play out a season at 39 years old with a long resume that includes helping the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship and then being part of a Miami Heat team that reached the Eastern Conference finals a year later. But consider how Tucker started his career. As a second-round pick of the Raptors in 2006, he headed overseas the next season to play in Israel, Ukraine and Germany before finally returning to the NBA six years later.
And despite the 10-day contract, he has a role with the Knicks. He can help provide a veteran, championship-pedigree voice steeped with toughness and honesty to a team stuck a level below the top teams in the NBA. He can help a team lacking that overachieving ethic that marked last season’s team.
“I don’t know if it’s about being a tough guy or like that,” Tucker said. “I get it. That’s how people think. But I’m just a realist. And I want to win. I don’t know another way to put it. I guess my reputation over the years of being tough on the court and kind of being vocal a little bit. Yeah, but that’s all a part of just winning for me.
“It’s actually easy [to make a vocal impact]. Like right now before I came to talk to you guys, we were sitting on the court talking to guys, talking about the situation that’s going to happen tonight, what the team needs, how we can get better, what we need to do. And so it’s funny how they kind of just come to you, gravitate to you, being that voice of reason.”
“Guys like that, when they’ve been around the league so much and they’ve garnered respect throughout the league, they’re who they are,” Josh Hart said. “They’re going to come in and talk and have a voice. And obviously we welcome that. We want him to be who he is. They signed him for a reason. He has to keep doing what got him here, and part of that is the leadership aspect and the vocal ability.”
The Knicks also could use some of the abilities Tucker has shown on the court. He earned All-Defensive team votes seven times and has served as a reliable corner three-point shooter.
“I think the last time I played was the playoffs last year,” Tucker said. “So just been working, man. Just working, trying to stay in the best shape I can. And look forward to working and getting better, helping this team out any way that I can.
“It was tough. It was the first time I wasn’t playing. After all those years of not missing a game to sitting out pretty much three-quarters of the season was tough, really hard. Mentally staying sharp, watching games, trying to stay relevant, see what guys are doing . . . It was a tough little road, but I’m glad I experienced it. It gave me a different viewpoint.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
