In the NBA, the top stage of basketball, some people will say that they can do whatever they want with talent, but for those role players whose basketball talent is not too good, they can only rely on their own acquired efforts to make up for the disadvantages of congenital deficiencies. PJ Tucker, who currently ranks first in the league with a 45.9 percent three-point shooting percentage, is an extremely inspirational example. The 36-year-old veteran, after switching from the Bucks to the Heat this season, unexpectedly played another spring performance in his career, currently averaging 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and his 45.9% three-point shooting rate is not only the top of the team, but also proud of the entire league.
Tucker, who was only 1.96 meters tall, graduated from the University of Texas in the NCAA, and after his college career, he also threw himself into the 2006 NBA Draft like most players, and was selected by the Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the second round at that time, when the 21-year-old Tucker also played 17 games for the Raptors, but basically played the role of the team's dragon set. With just 4.9 minutes on the court, he averaged just a pitiful 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, and Tucker hadn't shot a single three-pointer in the entire season. After the rookie season, Tucker did not continue to stay in the NBA, but chose to go to overseas leagues to train, during which he played in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy, Germany and other leagues.
Although he was a dispensable soy sauce male character in the NBA, Tucker became the thigh of these teams when he went to overseas leagues, especially during his 11 years in the German League, he scored 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds, and won the final Finals FMVP. It was during his time in overseas leagues that Tucker also began to focus on his own outside projection, strengthening his three-point shots. Finally, at the age of 27, Tucker was called by the NBA again to join the Phoenix Suns.
That season he sat on the team's main rotation, averaging 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game when the playing time reached 24.2 minutes, and in the following season (13-14 season), Tucker, who was still wearing the Suns, improved his average points per game to a career-best 9.4 points, and the average number of three-point shots on the court was also raised to 2.4, and the shooting rate was as high as 38.7%, knowing that he only shot 4 three-pointers in the NCAA era, and was able to return to the league again It is indeed not easy to perfectly transplant the three points you have trained in overseas leagues to the NBA.
Tucker, who successfully played the price of the Suns, was traded by the team to the toronto Raptors where the dream began in the 16-17 season, unlike the first season, which was a dragon set role, tucker who entered the palace at that time has become a well-deserved main rotation of the team, and after the end of the season, the Raptors also offered him a salary of 10 million yuan, but Tucker chose to join the Rockets with a 4-year 32 million below the market price in order to follow his old friend Chris Paul, where he continued to play the role of the best 3D. And for the Rockets in 18 years to the Western Conference finals to make a great contribution.
Unfortunately, the Rockets have encountered the Warriors in those years, tucker failed to fulfill his NBA championship dream in Houston, until he was traded to the Bucks by the rebuilding Rockets last season, and finally tasted the taste of the championship. After winning the first championship trophy of his career, Tucker switched to the Heat for a 2-year 14.35 million price in the offseason last year, and joining this defensive team, Tucker and the Heat also have a bit of a hate for each other. From the original dragon set role of not shooting three-pointers, Tucker can become the most accurate three-point player in the league now, and indeed thanks to his non-giving up and hard work!