Tuck also tips Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton and Toronto’s Fred VanVleet as potential postseason difference-makers in the East
Monday 27 July 2020 12:36, UK
The enclosed, tournament-style atmosphere of the NBA bubble is the perfect place for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat to shine, says Sky Sports NBA analyst Mike Tuck.
Initially, nobody knew if this Jimmy Butler experiment was going to work in Miami but he is shining now he has finally found the right situation.
Butler really fits the Miami Heat culture and he is leading from the front. He really sets the tone for the Heat's culture. He is the Heat culture! He is a 'dog' - he leads from the front and the rest of the pack is following through with him.
A lot of (the ability to do that) comes down to environment. Your environment, your-team mates, the coaching staff. When you look back at the Heat - when LeBron went there - they were like the bad guys in a movie. They liked that image and Jimmy fits it well, too.
Does Butler's leadership have even more value in the bubble? I think so. It's new territory for all these teams but the biggest thing is there is no home court advantage. For some guys, especially guys like Jimmy, it is going to provide an atmosphere and a platform where they can shine, because you just roll off the ball and play. This is a pick-up game and whoever shows up on the day is going to win.
The whole Heat team is like a dark horse team. They have got several guys that really stepped up and exceeded expectations this season. [Bam] Adebayo and [Kendrick] Nunn and [Tyler] Herro - you've got these guys with a chip on their shoulder trying to prove something.
And don't forget the acquisition of [Andre] Iguodala and [Jae] Crowder. Nobody is really talking about that but Iguodala has still got gas left in the tank. He is an experienced head that can still play both ends of the four and lead that second unit when Jimmy sits.
All of a sudden we have a young overachieving team who have added these two veterans. The Heat look like a more rounded-off team now.
Khris Middleton has always been a guy who has flown under the radar but in terms of the year he is having, just look at his shooting. He is (on the cusp of joining) the 50/40/90 club - shooting 50 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from three-point range and 90 per cent from the free throw line for a season. Larry Bird, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Stephen Curry and Malcom Brogdon are the only other players to do that.
Middleton is just that one step away from being a stand-out All-Star. On a team like the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he is that second go-to guy and I don't think they would have the record that they have right now without him. He is one of the best shooters in the NBA and his ability to draw out the defense creates so much space for Giannis. Middleton is the kind of guy that will make the other team pay if they leave him open.
Middleton has been criticised for his play in the playoffs before but I don't think it all just falls on his shoulders. Some of it falls on his shoulders because he's the No 2 option and the Bucks expect a lot from him. When you're doing these things in a regular season it has to translate over to the postseason.
It's the whole of the Bucks roster that has something to prove it. Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't truly proved himself in the play-offs yet. Neither has [Eric] Bledsoe or the rest of that supporting cast.
What else do I want to see from Middleton? He is too quiet and I think the Bucks in general are too. They have passionate players but they don't really have a 'general' out there. I think Middleton could be that guy to really step up and show a little bit of ego and demand the ball in certain situations and be that guy who can help inspire and get on other guys to get them going.
Saying that, it's not really his game and it is a tough thing to make a player do something that is not built into him.
The Bucks are a consistent team. They find a way every night to end up dragging out games and winning them. Whether that's on the back of Giannis or other guys stepping up, they do find a way to win, but in terms of identity and what kind of team they are, I don't know what the culture is there. It's not 'in your face' like other teams. You can't exactly put your finger on one thing.
Fred VanVleet has been a kind of unsung hero for the Raptors. So much attention goes on Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, but steadily bubbling away in the background is VanVleet. He has the ability to come in and take over that second line-up when Lowry is out, but he has also got the ability to play the off-guard position when Lowry is in the game.
The biggest thing for me with VanVleet was last season in the play-offs whe the Raptors played the 76ers. He shot 3-for-24 in that series. But then in the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Bucks, he bounced back shooting 19-for-25 in games four, five and six. It was after he got knocked in the face and he got those stitches on his cheek, the black eye and he chipped his tooth. All of a sudden we just saw this way grittier version of him and he really started to step up.
VanVleet really carried that into this season. He hit the ground running. He has got a very balanced and a very solid attitude and maturity that is rare in guys his age. He can do so many things. He creates for other guys but he has the ability to shoot from range and get some daggers in another team.
Do VanVleet's qualities embody the Raptors as a team? 100 per cent. He is tough, a bit of a workhorse with a good motor. I don't think Lowry would be the guy he is without VanVleet, who has done a great job of being that back-up point guard and a solid option at the two-guard position as well.
Everybody is overlooking this Raptors team. That gives me the same vibes as last year's playoffs. They have the ability to slide by a bunch of teams that aren't ready for them.
They've proved this season already that they can do it without Kawhi Leonard. They have the experience of learning how to go far in a play-off situation and ultimately winning the championship, doing it all as underdogs.
The Raptors are never the titles favourites or the team with the 'silver spoon' but I am very confident they could reach the Finals.
