Miami Heat: 3 defensive assignments for PJ Tucker this season
By Jack Simone
Based on the moves they made this offseason, it’s clear that the Miami Heat have championship aspirations. They re-signed key players and brought in some very talented free agents.
Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker, and Markieff Morris will all bring a lot to the table. However, Tucker has a very specific set of skills that will be of great help to the Heat.
Last season, the Heat were a top defense in the NBA, and a large part of that was due to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Now, they won’t have to take on as large of a load on that end of the floor, and will still be an amazing defensive team.
With Tucker in the frontcourt, Butler and Adebayo won’t always have to take the toughest matchup. Tucker can take on some of those assignments instead.
Who are some of the players Tucker will have to guard next year? What assignments will he be sure to get on the Miami Heat this season?
light. Related Story. What the PJ Tucker signing means for this season
Defensive assignments for PJ Tucker with the Miami Heat: Tobias Harris
This may seem like an odd choice, but it makes all the sense in the world. The Miami Heat will likely be competing with the 76ers in the East, and Tucker can easily clamp down Tobias Harris.
Tucker is an undersized four who can guard almost any position on the court. He guarded Kevin Durant for the majority of Milwaukee’s series vs Brooklyn.
Well, if he can handle guarding Durant, he should certainly be able to handle Harris. This would allow Bam Adebayo to guard Embiid, and Butler and Lowry to focus on other matchups.
He should be able to shut Harris down, which would in turn give the 76ers one less player to run through on offense. Tucker should be able to handle that matchup with ease.