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After the Miami Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, Heat guard Tyler Herro had strong words for his former teammate, P.J. Tucker, specifically how his departure has impacted the Heat record-wise.
“I mean, you see our record now without him, right?” Herro said, per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated. “We were first in the East with him, and now we’re struggling to find our identity without him.”
Herro added that his former teammate’s impact on his team doesn’t show up statistically while acknowledging how his presence only makes a team better.
“Tuck is somebody that brings everything else that doesn’t show up in the box score,” Herro said. “Anything that he brings to the box score is just extra at that point…He’s a great teammate, he’s a leader, he knows where to be in the right spots,” he concluded. “He’s a veteran, experienced, and brings a lot to a championship team. Things that don’t show up in the box score, but he brings everything else.”
Last season, the Heat snagged the no. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, sporting a record of 53-29, but this season, they have dropped to the no. 7 seed, sporting a record of 33-29. Tucker’s departure may have influenced their decline this season.
Despite Tucker’s impact, the Sixers lost to the seventh-seeded Heat squad, which only pushes them further away from the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings, and now they have a five-game road trip coming up, including their next matchup against the Heat on March 1.
Herro Praises Dewayne Dedmon
After the Heat traded him to the San Antonio Spurs, where he was soon released, the Sixers picked up former Heat center Dewayne Dedmon. Herro shouted out his former teammate for the impact he had on the Heat and the one he’ll have on the Sixers.
“That’s my guy, Dedmon!” Herro said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “That’s my dog. I’m sad he’s gone, but he’s another dude that’s just a good leader, a good teammate, a good leader in the locker room. He’s gonna help the Sixers for sure. He’ll definitely help.”
Dedmon played with Herro on the Heat from 2021 to 2023 before the former was traded. Since signing with the Sixers, Dedmon has yet to suit up for them this season, but when he does, he’ll be joining Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell among the players who will compete for minutes as Joel Embiid’s backup.
Jimmy Butler Rags on Tucker
After the Heat beat the Sixers, former Sixer Jimmy Butler voiced his respect for anyone who he’s “been in the trenches with” while also ragging on his former teammate, saying, “I hate you, P.J.,” per Carlin.
All indications are that Butler is simply joking and that there’s no contempt between him and Tucker despite leaving the Heat for the Sixers last summer. This is not the first time that Butler has jokingly ragged on Tucker.
On July 6, Tucker made an Instagram post (which has since been deleted) thanking the city of Miami and the Heat fanbase for everything, Butler posted an NSFW comment teasing Tucker and Joel Embiid by saying, “F*** you and Joel Embiid yeah I brought him into this.”
This season, Tucker is averaging 3.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from the field and 42.6% from three. Point-wise and field goal percentage-wise, it’s a decline from his scoring average of 7.6 points and 48.4 percent from the field last season.
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