The Miami Heat had a pretty bad offense in the grand scheme of things last year. Their defense carried them to the playoffs, but offensively, they were a mess.
They finished in the bottom six in terms of points per game (108.1). The only teams worse than them in that regard were the Knicks, Pistons, Thunder, Magic, and Cavaliers.
As a playoff team, that’s not exactly the best group to be clumped together with. Miami should strive to be much better on that end.
Well, luckily for them, they signed the perfect player to help with their offense. His name? PJ Tucker.
PJ Tucker will help transform the Miami Heat offense
Now, Kyle Lowry was definitely the name most people thought of first when thinking about improving the offense. He’ll definitely help a ton, but what Tucker brings to the table might be just as, if not more important.
Tucker is an elite 3&D player, and that is exactly the role he’ll play in Miami. His defense is his calling card, but his three-point shooting is what could transform Miami’s offense.
Last season, Miami was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA. They finished in the bottom half of the league when it came to three-point percentage (35.8%).
If it weren’t for Duncan Robinson, they would have been one of the worst teams in the NBA. If you take away Robinson’s makes and attempts, Miami would have finished as a bottom three team in three-point percentage.
Having Tucker around will not only add another shooter to the lineup but also open up opportunities for others. His presence alone will improve their offense.
Last year, Robinson was the only true threat from behind the arc. This season, the Miami Heat will have both Lowry and Tucker to help with that.
Since Lowry will be handling the ball the majority of the time, Tucker is the one who will be spacing the floor the most. Just having him standing in the corner should open up opportunities for Robinson and the rest of the starting five.
Opposing defenses won’t be able to ignore Tucker standing in the corner. This means they won’t be able to focus all their attention on Robinson.
On top of that, having Tucker in the corner will open up things for Bam Adebayo in the paint. He spaces the floor so well, that offense will be much easier to come by for the rest of the roster.
Without even doing anything, Tucker will be able to help transform Miami’s offense. Signing him was a great move by the Miami Heat and one that will help improve their game immensely on the offensive end.