He's one of the world's best shooters and equally a tough defender, and his comeback adds a sparkle to the NBA.
This is what Spurs coach Popovich said about him when Klay Thompson returned to the game. Although Popovich disapproved of the teams that won with outside three-pointers during the game, he still said a lot of praise for this player who has both a tough defense and excellent three-point ability. There is no doubt that 3D players are indeed the league's current sweets! When we talk about Klay of the Golden State Warriors, don't overlook PJ Tucker, who played a defensive slam for the Bucks last season.
Some say tucker, who won the bucks' first championship ring in his career last season, was so willful that he chose to leave the team after winning the championship. But in fact, it is not that Tucker did not renew his contract with the Bucks, but that the team management did not send him a reasonable offer contract, but once denied his contribution on the playoff stage. When hard work is not rewarded accordingly, he will of course choose any platform that suits him to continue to show himself. So, as we've seen, Tucker signed a two-year, $14.35 million contract with the Miami Heat in the offseason.
In fact, as early as when he was abandoned by the Rockets, Tucker had publicly stated that he wanted to play at home in Miami and become a part of the Heat. This season's dream came true, and Tucker has always proved his worth with his own practical actions. As we've seen, Tucker has played in 38 games for his team this season, including 37 starts, and in the 28.7 minutes of playing, he can also deliver 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
But as a 3D player with both three-pointers and defense, the superficial numbers don't represent his contribution. That's right, for example, Tucker's defensive efficiency this season has reached 108.1, which is worse than his defensive efficiency of 101.9 when he was not on the court. Perhaps, this creates the illusion that Tucker's defense is inefficient! In fact, this is inseparable from the Heat's defensive strategy this season: when Tucker is on the floor, the Heat are more relaxed in their defense of outside players, so as to achieve the effect of assisting in defense and blocking the penalty area.
According to player tracking data, Tucker still belongs to the first gear of the league in one-on-one single defense. Of the 26 players who reached 50 one-on-one defenses, and the defenders did not pass the ball, Tucker could only let the opponent score 0.71 points in a single time, ranking sixth! And in the process of the opponent's blocking, Tucker can only let the ball-carrying attacker get 0.91 points, ranking ninth! What's even more surprising is that even at the age of 36, Tucker has changed all the centers in the league and only let his opponents score 0.31 points each time!
With excellent defense, last season's Eastern Conference semifinals even made Durant suffer, but Tucker's skill pack is much more than that. So far, Tucker's three-point shooting rate has reached 47.4%, coming to the number one position in the league. Although the 1.4 single-game data is slightly inferior to the historical three-point king like Curry, he can rely on his role as a role player to deliver 100% three-point shooting rate at key moments, ranking first in the league! History is always strikingly similar, and the Heat have been 3D players like Tucker over the years, the original Shaun Battier, Ruhr Dun, Jay Crowder and the previous Iguodala.
Won a championship trophy, still maintain a non-arrogant attitude to play in Miami, the name of the league's gold medal 3D player, but don't ignore PJ Tucker!