Forward P.J. Tucker has been fantastic for the Miami Heat so far in the 2022 NBA Playoffs and has started in all six of the team’s postseason games.
In a recent conversation with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Tucker revealed that one of his prime inspirations when it comes to his approach to playoff basketball comes from all-time great Michael Jordan.
Tucker made it clear that seeing Jordan’s killer instinct in the playoffs has had a major impact on his own approach to the game.
“My whole life, the playoffs as a kid, just not missing a game,” Tucker said. “My whole life, you just see everybody’s game elevate. I’m a big Jordan fan. In the playoffs with Jordan, you could see it in his eyes with his passion and how much he loves it and how much he turns into a killer with that killer instinct. I’m all about that.”
Heat fans have certainly seen passion and fire in Tucker’s eyes so far this postseason. In the 2022 playoffs, he’s averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He has scored at least 10 points in four games.
Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Tucker and other Heat big men were expecting a matchup with one of the league’s best bigs in Joel Embiid. However, the 76ers star suffered an injury in his team’s series-clinching win over the Toronto Raptors. His status for the entire series against Miami is currently in doubt, but there’s reportedly optimism that he could play as soon as Game 3.
Until then, Heat fans can expect Tucker and the rest of the Heat frontcourt to continue to impose their will on the Sixers.
If Embiid does end up returning to the court later in the series, the battle down in the post will surely get far more intense.
