“He should always make the All-Defensive team” – Kyle Lowry is all praise for Miami Heat teammate PJ Tucker’s defensive prowess

PJ Tucker just won over a new admirer for his defensive game. Miami Heat teammate Kyle Lowry praised Tucker for his hard work and quality on the defensive end of the floor. It came following the Heat’s 111-105 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

The Miami Heat were without Jimmy Butler yet again for this contest. However, Tyler Herro (27 points and eight rebounds), Duncan Robinson (22 points, 6-of-11 from downtown) and Lowry (21 points and six rebounds) combined to ward off a late run from the Jazz to seal victory for the visitors. PJ Tucker, too, made a strong contribution with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double. Although it still doesn’t reflect his entire value to the Heat’s win. Commenting on Tucker after the Miami Heat brought up their eighth win of the season, Lowry said:

“Man, Tucker is one of the hardest playing guys in the NBA. He should always make the All-Defensive team. It’s tough to not want to go in the battlefield with him.”

PJ Tucker will do “whatever it takes to win”, says Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat

There was more praise for PJ Tucker. Duncan Robinson was just 6-of-29 combined over his last two games for the Miami Heat. But he came up with an 8-of-14 shooting performance against the Jazz and called Tucker an “amazing” player. Robinson said:

“PJ is amazing. He doesn’t care about anything but that scoreboard, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. He’ll come up to me and be like my goal is to get you 15 threes.”

This is PJ Tucker’s 11th season in the league. He won a ring with the Milwaukee Bucks for their 2020-21 campaign. Tucker then joined the Miami Heat in the 2021 offseason after being disappointed that the Bucks did not re-sign him following their title run. Tucker is averaging 6.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 13 starts while shooting 39.4% from long range for the Miami Heat this season. He is one of the best defensive players in the league, capable of guarding multiple positions on the basketball court.