Miami Heat: One Bold Prediction For P.J. Tucker In Coming Season
By Max Marshall
The Miami Heat landed a defensive linchpin this offseason in P.J. Tucker, also hurting their archenemies in the process, the Milwaukee Bucks. But P.J. is more than just that side of the ball and this season’s bold prediction for him says just that.
P.J Tucker struggled last season to shoot the three ball, but to be fair, the start of his season was a mess. Lets go back to the start of the season, when the James Harden fiasco wasn’t helping the situation in Houston.
After the Harden situation was over and with Houston knowing they would be in rebuilding mode, they were looking for a trade for Tucker. Tucker was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, even though his shooting didn’t improve after the trade.
He still did other things well to help Milwaukee win the championship, if that helps. With Miami though, they’ll need more than just that.
In fact, it should be of a high belief that he can get back to where he was for so long in Houston. To be specific, I think the Miami Heat will have Tucker in better position and mindset to get back to his famous corner three ball.
The Miami Heat will take all they can get from P.J. Tucker this season, on both sides of the ball. Hopefully, he can get back to being the corner sniper he was.
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We all know what Tucker brings to the table, especially his hard work at the defensive end. He’s just a guy you want on your team.
When Tucker was in Houston, he was, arguably, the best corner three point shooter in the league, according to some. Since joining the Rockets in 2017, Tucker has taken a whopping 719 corner 3-pointers.
He’s made 282 of those shots, good for a 39.2 percentage on corner treys. We all know Coach Erik Spoelstra wants his shooters to let it fly at all times.
That leads to his bold prediction.
Bold Prediction: Tucker shoots 38% from three
Tucker had a down year from three this year but If he is wide open in the corner, you have to pass him the ball. With Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler attacking the rim, that will draw Tucker’s defender to help a ton, leaving him open.
But best of all, Bam Adebayo has a chance to give Tucker the optimal chance to get his three point percentage back where it was a couple years ago. Well known, Adebayo’s passing skills are great and can help get many open looks for his shooters.
Although at times, Adebayo is too much of a willing passer, neither option would be bad for Tucker’s looks. The two-man game with Adebayo and Robinson is well known, but if Adebayo can switch it up more, that will lead him to being more aggressive, and potential corner threes for Tucker.
Fake the dribble-handoff, even, and hit the man in the open corner for the look. It’s easy to imagine.
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To reiterate, it’s a well known fact what Tucker brings on the defensive end, but if Tucker can hit a couple threes a game then it will help the Miami Heat’s offense unlock even more options. With all the open looks Tucker should get, I don’t think it’s crazy for him to find his shooting touch again, gettin ghis percentage close to what it used to be.