Sixers' P.J. Tucker says team's communication has 'completely changed' this season
Tucker says Sixers’ communication has 'completely changed' this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
According to P.J. Tucker, Joel Embiid’s communication was rather minimal during preseason practices.
“To hear him talking today was crazy,” Tucker said with a laugh on Oct. 7 of the Sixers’ All-Star center. “So we’ll try to build off that, see what happens tomorrow.”
Many days later, Embiid is the NBA’s MVP and the Sixers are set to play Game 6 of their second-round playoff series Thursday night against the Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. They hold a 3-2 lead over Boston.
That doesn’t mean Tucker is now blown away by Embiid’s on-court communication.
“He still doesn’t talk much, but it’s more with his actions,” Tucker said Thursday following the Sixers’ shootaround. “There’s a lot of times where he comes out of nowhere on defense. And then on offense, just being aggressive. When he does that, it makes it easier for everybody else.”
Of course, Tucker is especially disinclined to offer any insincere praise. In his first season as a Sixer, the 38-year-old has been a central figure in the team’s culture of candidly, immediately addressing problems.
Beginning with the Sixers’ training camp in Charleston, South Carolina, Tucker has fixated on communication.
“I think that was the No. 1 thing I talked about throughout (the year),” he said. “I was like, ‘It’s going to be a thing at the end, and we’ve got to communicate better and keep building on it all year.’ And looking back, we’ve come a long way for sure from those days in Charleston.
“Obviously, it’s just one of those things where throughout the year, you keep harping on it. And then at the end, everybody’s kind of like, ‘Yeah.’ You don’t necessarily think about it, but it’s actually happening.”
Tucker has seen significant progress from fellow veteran forward Tobias Harris on that front.
“Tobias talks a lot more now,” Tucker said. “He’s adapted a lot to playing with me and James (Harden). The group has completely changed from those days. It’s funny now thinking about those days, because they’re so different.”
Off the court, the consensus is that Embiid is not a loquacious leader.
As he’d tell you, he’s content playing video games at home and hanging out with his family.
“Obviously, I don’t do anything outside of basketball, whether it’s going out or going to dinner,” Embiid said at his MVP press conference. “I just hate restaurants and stuff, so that’s not me. Sometimes I do it, but I think the guys around me, they have been extremely helpful. They’re allowing me to just be myself and then also just take me as I am, and that’s been great.”
Still, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has appreciated Embiid’s efforts to engage more with his teammates.
“Joel’s not naturally talkative at times,” Rivers said Wednesday. “He’s a loner at times. And it’s been a concerted effort to give himself to the team. … You don’t have to lead by screaming and all that stuff. Just give yourself to each other, especially when you’re the best player. It’s so easy when you’re the best player to just go, ‘I’m the best player’ and separate himself. And boy, it helps when he’s not.
“He’s playing cards. I don’t think Jo wants to play cards, honestly. I really don’t. (Kevin Garnett) would lose money on purpose. He had a lot of it, but he would play cards and you could see with some of the hands, he’d wink at you. He just wanted guys to keep playing and being together. And Jo’s doing a lot of that. It’s good.”
For Embiid, having his locker next to Tucker’s clearly has not hurt.
“Everybody knows this team was made for these times right now. … It’s just people don’t realize how long it takes to get to this point, and having to go through the process," Tucker said. “That’s what we’ve been talking about all year. It’s a process from training camp, going through the season, the ups and downs, injuries — all the stuff that happens to give yourself a chance to be able to win it all.
“So it’s been a long process, it’s been fun building as a team, and now it kind of all goes out the window and it’s about winning.”
