P. J. Tucker Quotes

Charles Barkley taught me a lot when I played against him. How he would use his body or use his dribble to get people in there and all that stuff.

Of course the defenders are trying to be physical with me. They look at me, 7-3, skinny, they try to be physical.

The thing in basketball is you always want to be free. I don't want to be hugged up to my guy. When we're body to body, I want to control you.

I think college prepared me at a really high level. High school, you can take some plays off on the defensive end. Not on purpose, but if your man gets tired, you can rest a little bit. But once you get to college, and especially in the NBA, you can't do that. Even if my man gives the ball up, I'm on help side, helping my team out.

I don't back down. Like, I don't know how to flop. That's never been a part of my game. For me to know if a guy likes to turn left shoulder or right shoulder in the post, I have an advantage. Or if he likes to go left all the time, I have an advantage. Or if he can't make open jump shots, I have an advantage.

Tackling, and that ability to stay on your feet and pressurise a player, is a dying art.

At the end of 2003, my game was complete. Shooting, defense, using the dribble, transition, midrange stuff was all there. Then it was about fine-tuning and trying to improve in each area.

Just like when I was in the NFL, you've got to find those smaller dudes - and when you get your hands on them, it's bad news - all day.

Demarcus Cousins, he can move. With his size, he can really use his size on the perimeter against anybody. That's what I want to do when I get to the league.

I just try to make the right play, stay aggressive and defensively just do what I do. I make sure I talk to everyone and control the paint.

I think guys that play basketball really understand how to go up and get a ball. Because in a rebound situation, you've got to go up and fight for a ball. Just boxing out. There are a lot of things that transfer.

Tackling still comes down to leverage and owning that leverage and making your hits.

It's nice to be able to go against bigger guys and be able to bang.

Because I'm fairly big, I like to use my body. So I'll control the ball, even when there's a player on me, and then I'll pass.

NBA is totally different in style. In NBA, we play much more aggressive, much harder. It's not time for thinking. In Europe, we play every week, one game. Here we play every second day so if you lose, you don't have time to think about losing. Just go forward.

As a big man you may struggle to get much height when jumping for a ball - but by training with your defender team-mates you can develop a technique for making strong challenges in the air, making defenders uncomfortable and work on taking the ball down.

I think Martin Keown was the toughest. I liked playing against him in training because I knew it was just like a game situation.

I learned how to defend the ball with my body and to be faster than my opponents.

I'm not the strongest, I'm not the fastest, I can't jump the highest, so for me, it's doing it in other ways: changing paces, using your body to get open, knowing your defender. A lot goes into it. You have to study the game.

The confidence level that Steph is playing with now, obviously, you won't totally stop him. If I'm playing against him right now, I think I'd try to pick him up full court, get the ball out of his hands, try to be a little physical.

If I want any shot at getting on the floor, I gotta know what I'm doing defensively.

Someone like Brian Cage, he's a gigantic man who is trying to wrestle like me. That's his mistake because I clearly hold the top card in someone who is wrestling like Matt Sydal.

What you really need to do is just stop the 3-point shooting, make sure they don't set a record on you. Be physical.

Guys in the league have grown-man strength. They're not going to move off when you bump them. They know your moves and are going to cut them off. You have to be strong and have counters. You have to slow down.

Me being a shorter guy, I am pretty quick out of the blocks and can get up to top speed maybe a little faster than some guys.