Miami Heat veteran P.J. Tucker is the kind of person every NBA player seems to love having as a teammate. He’s selfless and focused on team success over personal accolades, and he’s tough as nails.
He’s the kind of leader that all successful teams seem to have. That type of leader is incredibly important to the team despite not necessarily being a star player.
In fact, Tucker recently admitted that he wishes he had had a teammate like him earlier in his professional career.
“I wish I had somebody like me,” the veteran power forward told the Sun Sentinel recently.
“I think so many times when I was younger, coming into the league, being a young player, I wish I had somebody to kind of help me, teach me little tricks of the trade, little things you got to do, how to stay focused.”
Another reason why Tucker is such a valuable voice is because he really had to work for his spot in the league. He spent many years playing overseas before he was finally able to make a place for himself in the NBA.
Last season, he won the first title of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 2021-22 season is Tucker’s first in Miami. From the very start, it was clear that he was going to be a good fit. In the regular season, he averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest in 71 games.
In the Heat’s win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, Tucker recorded 16 points and five rebounds. His toughness was also on full display.
Surely, he will look to continue to lead the Heat as they pursue their ultimate goal of winning a title. Game 2 of the series between Miami and Atlanta is set for Tuesday night.