P.J. Tucker Deal Caps Off A Brilliant Trade Deadline For Raptors
To follow up on landing Serge Ibaka, the Raptors have bolstered their wing play and defense even more with a trade for P.J. Tucker.
The Toronto Raptors have easily been one of the NBA’s biggest winners at the trade deadline this year. Outside of the freshly DeMarcus Cousins-clad New Orleans Pelicans, there aren’t many teams that have done better. The Houston Rockets are another contender that did a terrific job by strengthening their bench and adding even more shooting with Lou Williams as the highlight of their biggest trade, but the Raptors have made two ideal moves.
First, they addressed their 16th-ranked defense and power forward situation by adding Serge Ibaka, sending Terrence Ross and a first-round pick to the Orlando Magic for the best available power forward not named Paul Millsap. Now, to add to that, the Raptors have got their hands on another defensive weapon in P.J. Tucker. To make that news even better, all Tucker cost the Raptors was Jared Sullinger (who was never close to the answer at power forward) and two second-round picks for 2017 and 2018, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
While he’s not the high-flying shot blocking machine he once was, Ibaka is still a stout rim protector whenever he’s engaged, and that should be the case more often on a contending Raptors team that needs him, rather than the failing Orlando Magic. Ibaka’s agility, pick-and-roll coverage, and overall versatility when switching outside, not to mention his three-point shooting and mid-range game, give the Raptors the exact type of skill set they need to bolster their frontcourt.
Ibaka also alleviates the pressure on the team when they don’t have Patrick Patterson on the floor. They’ve been a drastic 15.2 points per 100 possessions worse whenever Patterson isn’t on the floor, emphasizing how much they needed more depth. All of Ibaka’s defensive attributes and career-high 38.8 percent three-point shot are vital additions, ones that finally strengthen the Raptors’ long-running power forward issue and create new possibilities for small defensive lineups when he shifts to center as well.
One of the biggest issues with the Raptors’ defense is their backbone of Jonas Valanciunas, a lumbering big in serious need of more mobility and lateral quickness to move around the floor and not get blown past so often in pick-and-rolls. Such problems can be reduced in smaller lineups with Ibaka at center, and this is only enhanced by the arrival of Tucker.
You don’t target Tucker for his offense, but he’ll never try and do too much in his role and he’s capable of shifting around the perimeter and playing off the ball alongside Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, which is all the Raptors ever need in their All-Star-guard-centric offense. And even though Tucker is only shooting 33.8 percent from three this season, he shot 38.7 percent from deep the last time the Suns were a winning team in 2013–14, and could well see his percentage tick upwards when he gets more space around the gravity of the Raptors’ stars.
The real benefits of Tucker all come back to defense. It’s why Toronto went after him, seeking out a player who’s ranked 14th among all small forwards in Defensive Real Plus/Minus, averages a stellar 7.5 rebounds per 36 minutes, and has the ability to guard multiple positions at the perimeter. The high level of strength compacted into his 245 lbs, 6'6" frame helps him switch onto bigger players when bodying them up or holding his own in the post, while his overall persistence, energy, and quickness around the perimeter on guards and wings alike will help lock up the Raptors’ perimeter rotation. Seeing as DeMarre Carroll has never been able to recapture the player we saw thrive so much in Atlanta a couple of years ago, Tucker’s arrival to share some of the forward minutes is even more timely as the playoffs approach.
Tucker has been present in trade rumors for months, yet leaving Phoenix could never happen until the Raptors clawed their way in during the final hour before the deadline buzzer. Reports about Tucker’s availability have frequently emphasized the Suns’ intention to land a first-round pick for him, so the Raptors already deserve credit for only giving up two seconds that hardly held much importance to them, anyway.
With Ibaka and Tucker onboard, don’t be surprised if the Raptors can snap out of their recent slump with their revamped roster and embrace a more balanced level of two-way play, ideally returning to a characteristic top-three standing in the East in the process. After trudging along at 11–14 since January 1 with a 19th-ranked defense and their suddenly average offense (15th) being especially harmful, they’ve fallen to fourth place with a 33–24 record. It’s that defense that has been their Achilles heel, so anything to add some armor in this regard is what the Raptors have needed to ensure they’re a little less Lowry/DeRozan dependant in the playoffs.
Toronto landing such valuable pieces to address the biggest weakness of their team (defense) is even more encouraging when taking note of the fact that they were able to maintain Norman Powell and sacrifice zero additional depth in the deal for Tucker; Sullinger just doesn’t mean much at all after landing Ibaka.
For the suddenly stagnant Raptors, this trade deadline was all about maximizing their chances. In an Eastern Conference still run by LeBron James, where overcoming The King would only result in a Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors, the Raptors’ mindset purely needed to be one of making the most of their opportunity while it’s at least this good.
As the Millsap trade possibility went out of the window, they could have easily stayed quiet, resting on their laurels without change and hoping for the best. Instead, they’ve been aggressive by adding two players who fit that mould to their defense, insisting on making the most of the best roster in Toronto’s history. And no matter how impossible a task it may be to make the Finals, all they need is a key injury in Cleveland to shift the tide further in their favor.
The Raptors have successfully done all they can to push their window of opportunity as far open as possible. Now, they’re more dangerous and winners at the deadline because of it.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.
