‘Ah, that’s our P.J. now’: Sixers fans and players feel P.J. Tucker’s impact in preseason debut

Dave Joerger does not typically hear the crowd while focused on coaching a game. But the 76ers assistant noticed the swell inside the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night when P.J. Tucker grabbed two offensive rebounds on one second-quarter possession in his first (pseudo) game action as a Sixer.

“The whole place was like, ‘Ah, that’s our P.J. now. That’s our guy,’” Joerger recalled. “So he’s going to be very loved here in the way that he plays hard-nosed, and he’s vocal, great defender. And getting us those extra possessions, that stuff really helps.”

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey continues preseason tear, raising already high expectations

Tucker’s stat line in the Sixers’ preseason win against the Cleveland Cavaliers was modest: zero points on 0-for-1 shooting and four rebounds in 17 first-half minutes. But hustle sequences such as those back-to-back offensive boards from the bruising veteran forward rev people up in the stands — and in the locker room.

New Sixers wing Danuel House Jr. has seen that impact firsthand, since they were also teammates with the Houston Rockets.

“He never talked to us about points,” House said of Tucker. “That’s crazy. And if he talks, he says what he’s going to do: ‘I’m going to set this screen, so you can do this. … Get ready to shoot.’”

Flash and flair have always been part of Tyrese Maxey’s game, rapidly making him a dangerous scorer and fan favorite entering his third NBA season.

But he is already feeling the benefits of his offseason strength gains. After scoring 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting in 15 first-half minutes against the Cavaliers, he said he is not getting bumped off his spot on drives as much and feels better finishing through contact. Perhaps more important, Maxey believes he is better equipped to fight through screens and box out for a defense that set its goal of becoming the NBA’s best.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey has another strong game in Sixers’ preseason win over Cavs

“I didn’t want to be a defensive liability because of size,” Maxey said. “I’m only 6-3 — I’ll give myself an inch — and I don’t want there to be any type of slack defensively. I don’t want them to make up special schemes just for me. I want to be able to be solid and do whatever the coach needs me to do defensively to help us win.”

New Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton walked into the locker room Wednesday with a new accessory — the coveted Big Energy chain awarded to players who put in extra weight-room work following games.

When asked about the moment he received the chain, Melton hammed it up by saying, “I felt honored that they would give [it to] me, out of all people. … I might shed a tear.”

Yet teammate Georges Niang, whose personality epitomizes the “big energy” description, playfully dampened the moment.

“They always give that to the new guy,” Niang jokingly yelled. “I had it all last year.”

As the Sixers prepared for Wednesday’s game, new big man Montrezl Harrell asked teammate Michael Foster Jr. for towels. Then, after hitting the game-winning layup, Harrell asked Julian Champagnie to grab him a water bottle out of the refrigerator across the locker room.

Those are examples of relatively tame rookie duties. Foster, who signed an Exhibit 10 (NBA minimum) contract, and Champagnie, who is on a two-way deal, are the only first-year players on a Sixers team that did not draft a player this past summer.

Foster’s other task so far: Supplying Chick-fil-A for teammates for their trip to Charleston, S.C., for training camp.