Miami Heat: P.J. Tucker was destined to play under Pat Riley

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley doesn’t lavish praise upon any of his players simply at the drop of a hat.

So it was more than noteworthy when he detailed his extreme admiration for free-agent signing P.J. Tucker at his annual Miami Heat press conference to preview the season:

"“He’s three times more than what I thought he was. If I wanted to put on a defensive clinic, I would use him as an example on how to close out, how to get in a stance, how to slide your feet…..On the offensive end, he’s like heat-seeking missile, as a screener, to try and get Duncan (Robinson) and Tyler (Herro) open. He’s one of the most unselfish players that I’ve ever been around.”"

And just three games into his Heat tenure, Tucker has backed up every bit of Riley’s assessment. Through the opening week of the regular season, the Heat rank first overall in the following categories:

• Defensive rating: 92.6
• Net rating: 14.8
• Opponent points per game: 95.7
• Opponent field goal percentage: 39.3

While it’s clearly been a collective effort to this point, the toughness and versatility Tucker has brought to the playing group has already proved invaluable. At 6’5″ and 245 lbs, Tucker has always exhibited the ability to handle bigger opponents down low while also utilizing his physicality and defensive instincts on the perimeter.

It’s taken little time for P.J. Tucker to demonstrate the enormous value he’s going to provide the Miami Heat moving forward.

Thus far, the results have been profound. Through three games, among 150 players in the league averaging at least 25 minutes per game, Tucker ranks first with an 80.4 defensive rating, with the Heat 23.6 points per 100 possessions better defensively with Tucker on the floor. Furthermore, a couple of other statistical measurements also illustrate just how valuable the 36-year-old has been to date.

Not only have opponents shot just 18.8 percent from 3-point range when he’s been on the floor, Tucker’s presence has also meant that opponents have averaged just 26.5 points in the paint per 36 minutes with him on the floor, in comparison to the 35.9 points per 36 minutes when resting.

It’s this ability to defend in a multitude of ways, as Riley explained, that makes the 2021 NBA champion such a valuable commodity. On arriving in Miami, Tucker elaborated on some of the reasons he decided on signing with the Heat this offseason:

"“This has been a long time coming….I’ve always said I could play in Miami…..for a player like me it’s hand made….I don’t know if I’ve been on a collective group of like really likeminded guys, a lot of guys cut from the same cloth. Lunch pail guys, come in and give it everything they’ve got.”"

Looking ahead, the Heat have one of the tougher early-season schedules in the league, with 13 of their first 20 games on the road, including their next contest against the Brooklyn Nets. Having faced the Nets in a grueling 7-game playoff series last season, Tucker is well aware of the challenges his new teammates will be facing.

But if there’s a more natural fit in recent years than the Miami Heat and P.J. Tucker forming an alliance, it’d be tough to find.