Milwaukee Bucks: P.J. Tucker is the secret weapon versus Brooklyn Nets

Following their four-game sweep of the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks will officially square off against the Brooklyn Nets in round two.

While this heavyweight matchup will be headlined by the handful of superstars at work, there are several under-the-radar candidates for the Bucks that could have a breakout series. For instance, this Milwaukee team has an abundance of depth on their side, which proved beyond impactful in the first round against Miami.

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One of the biggest surprises for the Bucks in round one was sharpshooting guard Bryn Forbes. The guard made a name for himself rather quickly off the bench by averaging 15 points while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor (48.5 percent from deep) across the four games played between these two teams.

While the Bucks will certainly need Forbes to continue riding the hot hand into the next round, the player best suited to have a similar breakout impact in round two is P.J. Tucker.

The Milwaukee Bucks have bolstered their defensive efforts since the addition of P.J. Tucker

As the age-old saying goes, “defense wins championships.” That is precisely why the Bucks made the surprising move of trading for Tucker back in March. With head coach Mike Budenholzer experimenting with the team’s defensive schemes all throughout the regular season to that point, general manager Jon Horst handed him another useful piece to utilize in the rotation and bolster their efforts on that side of the floor further.

The immediate belief was that Tucker would make the team more versatile defensively with a keen knack for switching, which proved true in their first round set with the Heat. According to NBA.com/stats, Heat players shot just 7-for-25 (25 percent) when being guarded by Tucker in the first round. That brilliance on that side of the ball certainly provided a massive boost off the bench for the Bucks as one of the most robust defenders in the association.

In fact, the Bucks currently boast the best defense in the playoffs to this point by a country mile following their first round series. Milwaukee’s defensive rating after four games sits at 95.4, with the second-highest mark belonging to the Phoenix Suns at 101. While it certainly comes in a small sample size, it is no secret that this team has the personnel to clamp down defensively.

Now, Tucker and the importance of defense will be heightened to the limit as the Bucks will take on the Nets in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Brooklyn has marvelously pieced together arguably the most star-studded trio in league history with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, and slowing them down will be the ultimate key to a Milwaukee victory in this series. That is why Tucker will play a key role alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and the rest of the team’s best defenders as they prepare for a series for the ages.

One player that Tucker has gotten fairly acquainted with by guarding him over the past several years is Durant. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Durant has scored 68 points on the forward across 123.3 partial possessions, according to NBA.com/stats. The four-time scoring champion has been highly efficient in the matchup by tallying 24-for-37 (65 percent) shooting from the field and 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) from behind the arc. While those numbers signal something far from lockdown defense, Tucker is still a player you want on your side of things when it comes to defending the 6″10′ Durant.

While most of his time will likely come against Durant, the switching implemented into Milwaukee’s defense could see the forward take on any of Brooklyn’s cast of characters. One of those could potentially be Kyrie Irving, the seven-time All-Star. Over the past four seasons, Tucker has had success defending Irving by surrendering 18 points on 6-for-16 shooting (37.5 percent), including just 2-for-6 (33.3 percent) from long distance across 28.4 partial possessions. The two will inevitably face off at some point down the line, and hopefully Tucker can continue keeping the guard’s contributions to a minimum.

The interesting variable here will be how Tucker plays 2017-18 league MVP James Harden, his former teammate. With the pair sharing the court together with the Houston Rockets over the previous three and a half seasons, Tucker has that experience from guarding him in practice. If Tucker finds himself face-to-face with his former teammate, it will be interesting to see which of the two will get the best of the other.

Backed by the phenomenal efforts from their three stars, the Nets ran one of the best offenses in the league this season, signaling the importance of defense in this series. Milwaukee must emphasize slowing down this high-octane offense, which is made only harder with the brutal season-ending loss of starting shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo. With the 23-year-old out of the fold for good, Tucker’s minutes will likely fill the void in some capacity because of that reputable defensive prowess.

While he might not have the sharpshooting in his arsenal the Forbes displayed all throughout the first round, Tucker could have a similarly massive impact in this series on the opposite side of the ball. Defense wins championships, and it is undoubtedly looking like the ultimate key to winning this matchup for the Bucks.

The team went all-in when they traded for Tucker during the regular season, and time will tell if it pays off in this top-heavy matchup with the Nets starting this Saturday.