P.J. Tucker needs to feel involved on offense for Sixers to succeed and avoid Al Horford 2.0

ORLANDO — We’ve seen a situation like the one P.J. Tucker is facing before. You can call it Al Horford 2.0.

On July 10, 2019, Horford signed a four-year, $97 million contract with the 76ers after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics.

While the contract was lucrative, the move had a negative impact on Horford’s career. Not a good fit with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, he was demoted to backup center.

But after just one season, Horford was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And he has been back with the Celtics since the start of last season, and, at the age of 36, is once again playing at a high level.

On July 6, Tucker signed a three-year, $33.2 million deal after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Miami Heat.

The forward has looked out of sorts through the first 19 games as a Sixers. The 37-year-old has experienced early defensive struggles and hasn’t scored in five of the last six games. On the surface, one would assume it was a huge miscalculation by the Sixers to sign him to the multi-year deal.

Similar to Horford’s case three seasons prior, the general belief is that Tucker’s contract is a bad deal that could possibly set the team back.

» READ MORE: Sixers Mailbag: ‘Why is P.J. Tucker still in the starting lineup?’

He sat out the fourth quarter of Friday’s 107-99 victory over the Orlando Magic with what was later revealed to be a left ankle soreness. But the Sixers (10-9) didn’t miss a beat without him, thanks to Georges Niang. The reserve forward scored nine of his 18 points on 3-for-3 shooting (all three-pointers) while playing the entire fourth quarter.

Questions have swirled about whether Niang, Matisse Thybulle, or De’Anthony Melton should replace Tucker in the starting lineup. That’s just one of many topics surrounding Tucker’s play.

“I think some of the criticism is unwarranted — not some, actually most of it,” said Tobias Harris. “There’s a lot of people that are box-score watchers. Box-score watchers don’t watch the NBA game and see how many touches he gets or how many open looks he gets. It’s not that many.

“But the guy goes out every night ... and does a hell of a job.”

Instead of replacing him in the lineup, the Sixers need to get him more involved offensively. At least three or four plays each game he stands wide open in the corner and teammates just don’t swing the ball in his direction.

The Sixers need to make a more conscious effort of getting him touches. It’s not about shooting all the time. Tucker doesn’t have to shoot the ball. He just has to touch the ball and make a play with a pass to feel involved instead of just running to the corner.

The Sixers had positive results the few times they got Tucker involved during their 110-102 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 18.

Tucker received a pass midway through the second quarter while in the corner. He dribbled twice to his left and passed the ball to Tyrese Maxey while occupying both of their defenders. That led to an assist on Maxey’s wide-open stepback 19-footer.

» READ MORE: Led by Shake Milton’s 24 points, reserves step up as Sixers take down Magic

A minute later, the same thing happened, only this time the recipient was Niang. Tucker got the ball, dribbled in the direction of Niang’s defender, quickly passed it back and Niang knocked down a wide-open three.

The touches allowed Tucker to make a difference without scoring a point. He contributed four rebounds, the two assists, and one steal while taking just one shot.

Leading the defensive charge, Tucker was a plus-11 while being tasked with guarding two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo most of the game.

“Our defense has been off the charts,” coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “Tucker may have been our most important player on the floor. It’s a great example of how you can help your team without scoring. He was huge tonight.”

He provided the same stellar defense against the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant on Tuesday and against Orlando star rookie Paolo Banchero in the first half of Friday’s game. Tucker, again, didn’t score in either game.

Against Brooklyn, he was in a rhythm, finishing with five rebounds along with season highs of three assists and three steals while being a plus-12.

Tucker is so unconcerned about scoring that teammates Danuel House Jr. and Montrezl Harrell chuckled when a reporter asked him about to hitting a three-pointer on Wednesday to snap a four-game scoreless streak.

“People that think I care, they don’t know me,” he said. “I literally don’t care.”

For Tucker, it’s all about wins. Plus, the Sixers’ situation hasn’t been ideal for a role player like him to score.

“I don’t touch the ball like that,” he said. “I make plays for other guys. I do things that lead up to the right play being made. I play basketball the right way.

“I don’t come down and start the game, thinking about scoring. I start the game out thinking about winning, making plays to win and help everybody else get shot in their spots. That’s how I play.”

» READ MORE: Sixers reserves embracing opportunity to show their ability: ‘This is what you want’

And the Sixers need to do a better job of putting him in that position.

Folks are complaining that the team’s biggest offseason acquisition is averaging just 3.7 points in 29.7 minutes while taking 3.3 shots. Yet he averaged just 2.6 points in 20 games after being acquired by the Bucks from the Houston Rockets at the 2020-21 trade deadline. Tucker then played a major role in helping Milwaukee win that season’s NBA title.

“If he really wanted, he could force six to eight shots a game to score like his career averages,” Harris said of Tucker, who averages 7.0 points and 6.6 shots for his career. “But he also knows and understands that our team needs ball movement. And he’s one of the guys that does it the most, the catalyst for ball movement for our group.

“He spaces the floor and goes out there and defends the best player every single night.”

The Sixers acquired him to help them advance deep in the postseason. That’s when folks will really put his performances under a microscope.

By then, the Sixers must do a better job of getting Tucker more involved.

However, there are some who will say that one of the league’s oldest players can still be a difference. Others will tell you that his perceived decline has more to do with Father Time than being underutilized.

But they said the same thing about Horford before he went back to Boston. The Sixers can only hope Tucker doesn’t go elsewhere and thrive.

Then it will definitely be Al Horford 2.0.