30 in 30: Can the Miami Heat avoid taking a step back?

How the loss of PJ Tucker will impact the Miami Heat

You can’t talk about the Miami Heat’s chances during the 2022-23 NBA season without discussing the repercussions of losing PJ Tucker. On one hand, he’s 37 years old, past his prime, and looked like a shell of himself toward the end of the season (and into the playoffs). On the other, you can argue that he was the heart and soul of the Heat. And a big reason why they were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in the first place.

Both of those can be true, but the reality for the 2022-23 season will likely fall somewhere in the middle. Where the Heat will miss him most is on the defensive end. He’s one of the most versatile defenders in the league and Miami will miss him next to Bam Adebayo.

Tucker brought a level of toughness that Miami simply didn’t have opposite of Jimmy and Haslem (though he doesn’t see the court much). And that aspect of his game will be missed.

It’s tough to envision Tucker being worth 5-10 games for the Heat, but with a glaring hole at the power forward position it may end up feeling that way at the end of this season in Miami.