Exploring the big, welcomed change for Heat’s Tucker and his NBA plans beyond this year
When Heat forward P.J. Tucker saw old friend Jarrett Jack earlier this month, the former NBA guard and current Phoenix Suns assistant coach said something that resonated.
“He said, ‘It’s good to see you finally back hooping,’” Tucker recalled early this week.
Tucker, of course, was a big contributor on the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship team last season, playing suffocating defense and hitting timely threes.
But Jack essentially was acknowledging how Tucker now has the offensive freedom to do more than stand in the corner and loft jumpers.
Tucker still remains among the NBA’s best’s corner shooters: His overall 46.9 percentage on threes ranks first in the league past the season’s midpoint.
But with Erik Spoelstra’s blessing and encouragement, there is now so much more to Tucker’s offensive menu.
The biggest difference?
“Shooting twos,” he said. “I never shot twos. I can shoot twos now….. Spo is just letting me play. He lets me handle a lot more, bring it up, be the play man. It opens up more for our offense because we have a lot of guys that can do it. It is probably the most freedom I have had since Phoenix” in 2016-17.
Tucker averaged 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and 1.1 two-point attempts in the past four seasons. He attempted just 13 shots inside the three-point line in 20 regular-season games with the Bucks last season, equaling 0.7 per game.
With the Heat, he’s averaging 3.2 two-point attempts per game and has made 53.4 percent of them (71 for 133). As perspective, he attempted only 58 two-point shots for Houston and Milwaukee last season.
His scoring average has jumped from 3.7 last season to 8.4 this season, including a 20-point game in Wednesday’s win against the Knicks.
So why is the ability to shoot twos suddenly an option but not as much of an option at his two previous spots? There are two factors in play:
Spoelstra “must have seen I can do it, because nobody has seen me do that in such a long time,” Tucker said. “Once I got here, he saw me playing and he saw I can do more, that I have a handle and can bring it up and initiate a lot of plays and be able to attack and make plays out of the post.”
And here’s the other factor that limited his two-point opportunities for part of his career in Houston and his brief tenure in Milwaukee:
“When you play with Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and he’s attacking the paint, it’s more about spacing around him a lot of the time,” Tucker said, understanding of that approach. “And in Houston, same with James [Harden]. He’s driving, rolling, so you have to be the spacer. In the Golden State series [in 2018 and 2019], I got to my floater a little bit, with the doubling.”
But “here it’s more” offensive opportunities besides three-point shooting, “being able to play out of the post. I’ve always been able to shoot threes and have the freedom to do that, but being able to take what the defense gives me and be able to attack [has been rewarding].”
What part of his new offensive freedom has been most enjoyable?
“Being able to get my floaters back,” he said of a teardrop shot that he lofts over defenders of all sizes. “I haven’t shot that in a while. To be able to do something that’s natural to my game, I’ve been doing my whole life, but to be able to really exploit that and get to it [is good]. And him [Spoelstra] wanting me to do that.”
Not surprisingly, Tucker appreciates the doors that Spoelstra has opened for him offensively.
“Of course,” he said. “At this point in my career, to be able to get back to having fun playing is a big thing, especially at my age [36], mustering up to get ready to go every single night.”
And Spoelstra is effusive about what Tucker has meant.
“He’s phenomenal, such a brilliant defender,” Spoelstra said. “He’s just a great basketball player. He’s smart, he’s tough, does all the winning plays that don’t show up in the box score. He communicates, he leads, he’s a skilled player, one of best historic three-point corner shooters. With us, he brings so much more to our offense with the play-making… He just continues to impress us.”
This Heat experience also has reinforced his love of the game and desire to play into his late 30s, if not beyond. He holds a $7.4 million player option for next season.
Asked if he can see himself playing another two or three years, Tucker said: “Easily. Two or three is easy. My question is do I want to go past five. Next three or four will be easy. If we go past three or four, then we start talking.”
The message from Jack was special but hardly unique.
“Every night, somebody says it, [mentioning] the way I’m playing, saying it’s good to see me being able to be free to play,” he said. “I appreciate that from guys I’ve known all my life.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 10:46 AM.
