CAMDEN, NJ — The Philadelphia 76ers are good but they know they can be better. P.J. Tucker isn’t afraid to admit it and explain the areas where the Sixers need to improve at.
“With this team, communication is always going to be number one,” Tucker said after the Sixers’ Thursday morning shootaround. “I’ve been saying that since training camp but it’s still gonna always be something. [Joel Embiid] don’t talk a lot, Tobias [Harris] don’t talk a lot, Tyrese [Maxey] don’t talk a lot. We got a lot of guys that don’t talk a lot. It’s just some of those important moments, in those spots to be able to be on the same page. It’ll be a difference-maker for us especially because we got guys that can be good defensively.”
Communication on the court is always something that can be improved upon and the Sixers certainly know that. Throughout this season, they have been vocal about the need to get better in that area. Tucker said that at this point in a player’s career if they aren’t a talker, they probably never will be.
“That’s something in high school or college [when you] get better at,” the Sixers forward said. “As a pro, you just figure out certain spots where you can get them to talk a little bit more. Even not being vocal, there’s stuff they can do in the moments to kind of show what they’re gonna do so you can be on the same page.”
As the Sixers continue to seek improvement on defense, they are bringing in two guys that can help. Jalen McDaniels’ versatility and Dewayne Dedmon’s communication are both important abilities that Tucker sees in the Sixers’ newest additions. The team is currently sixth in the NBA but is aiming higher on the leaderboard.
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Before the season, the Sixers bought into the goal of being the top-ranked defense. Tucker said that the goal isn’t something they are continually checking in on but that it is something that they know signifies greatness. “The one, two, three defensive teams are usually at the end,” Tucker said. “When it’s all said and done, they’re usually the ones that make it to the conference finals and to the finals.”