{"id":99684,"date":"2024-10-06T18:37:13","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T22:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=99684"},"modified":"2024-10-07T15:25:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T19:25:09","slug":"clippers-pj-tucker-replacement-waiting-in-the-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/06\/clippers-pj-tucker-replacement-waiting-in-the-wings\/","title":{"rendered":"Clippers\u2019 PJ Tucker Replacement Waiting In The Wings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to multiple reporters, the Los Angeles Clippers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tuckepj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PJ Tucker<\/a> have agreed to spend time apart as the result of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/03\/former-nba-champion-to-be-traded-or-waived-by-clippers-p-j-tucker\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">a rather contentious situation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Clippers say PJ Tucker is not with the team for \u201cthe time being\u201d and they are working with his agent to \u201cfind him the best situation moving forward.\u201d <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AlTg5P2IGj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/AlTg5P2IGj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarcJSpears\/status\/1843009010250990052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Included in the Clippers\u2019 deal for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a>, Tucker didn\u2019t initially touch down in the City of Angeles in high spirits. However, Tucker became disgruntled <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/02\/14\/nba-news-clippers-veteran-stepping-away-from-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">with collecting dust on the bench<\/a>. Clippers head coach Ty Lue gave up little ground.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The following has been released by the NBA. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gv9KQBRkIN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/gv9KQBRkIN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBAPR\/status\/1758223465029439931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tucker played just 420 total minutes for L.A. last season. Though he averaged 15.3 minutes per game in the postseason, he only suited up for Games 5 and 6. Now, on top of that, the Clippers don\u2019t seem any more inclined to play him.<\/p>\n<p>This despite him playing admirably in the 2024 NBA Playoffs and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/georgpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul George<\/a> leaving in the offseason. Unfortunately for Tucker, at 39 years old, retirement isn\u2019t far off. As a result, the renowned defender hopes to join with a championship contender that\u2019s more likely to play him, and quickly.<\/p>\n<p>The best way for him to achieve that would be by agreeing to a contract buyout. The Clippers simply waive him but they would likely want to recoup some of his $11.5 million salary. In either scenario, Tucker would be a free man and Los Angeles would have a free roster spot.<\/p>\n<h2>Clippers\u2019 PJ Tucker Replacement Waiting In The Wings<\/h2>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a> seemingly imploring the franchise to stop playing him at power forward, the team needs more depth at the four.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Kawhi Leonard when asked about his position and playing power forward:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was the power forward last year? It\u2019s gonna be the same thing pretty much. But we gotta control what we can control. I probably ran the top-five most miles per game last year. Or top-10. All coming off a\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1Nsee7jUtU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1Nsee7jUtU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joeylinn_\/status\/1842723736224772601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a solid chance that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesde02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrick Jones Jr.<\/a>, a tweener rather than a true power forward, starts. Long, athletic, and defensive-minded, he adds necessary elements to the first unit. However, two areas where Jones is rather mediocre is as a catch-and-shoot option and rebounder. The Pennsylvania native is a career 31.6 percent three-point shooter and has never averaged more than 4.0 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/morrima03.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Morris<\/a> could find his way back to Los Angeles, where he played from 2020-21 to 2022-23.<\/p>\n<p>At 6-foot-8, the former lottery pick is a bit undersized at the four-spot himself. Yet, what he lacks in size he makes up in toughness and tenacity. Not only does this aid him when guarding his assignment but when he\u2019s on the defensive boards. A career 37.7 percent three-point shooter, Morris also has a better chance of providing reliable spacing than Jones (or even Tucker, for that matter).<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word On Marcus Morris<\/h3>\n<p>In the end, Morris isn\u2019t going to be perfect. He has more in the tank but has lost a step athletically at 35 years old and Lue values defensive versatility. He\u2019s also outspoken, which could help him be a vocal leader but also has the potential to lead to drama. The Clippers already have enough to worry about this season without media distractions, so Morris\u2019 personality is worth considering as well.<\/p>\n<p>Still, there aren\u2019t many better options for a seasoned team with championship aspirations. Due to his extensive experience, Morris\u2019 basketball IQ is high enough for him to generally be trusted. Furthermore, the Clippers \u2014from the front office to the players \u2014are very familiar him, on and off the court. Lastly, Morris is unlikely to want more than the veteran\u2019s minimum, making him about as affordable as a player could get.<\/p>\n<p>If not Morris, a free agents like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/covinro01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Covington<\/a> could intrigue the Clippers. Covington is better than Morris defensively and Jones from outside. Like Morris, he also has experience playing under Lue with the Clippers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to multiple reporters, the Los Angeles Clippers and PJ Tucker have agreed to spend time apart as the result of a rather contentious situation. The Clippers say PJ Tucker is not with the team for \u201cthe time being\u201d and they are working with his agent to \u201cfind him the best situation moving forward.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/AlTg5P2IGj [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":99704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1608,62],"tags":[369,297,2282,1535],"class_list":["post-99684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clippers","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-marcus-morris","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-pj-tucker","tag-robert-covington"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}