Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat is undoubtedly having his best NBA season in his fifth year. He is averaging 24.2 points per game, 4.1 more than last season, and has career highs in rebounds (5.5) and assists (4.2).
He is also extremely efficient as a shooter, hitting 46.6% of his shots, 42.7% of his three-pointers and 85.7% of his free throws. However, coach Erik Spoelstra believes that Herrera’s improvement has gone beyond these numbers.
It’s more about his ability to be the Heat’s main decision-maker, especially in games like Thursday’s, when Herro had to be the team’s leading man with Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler out with injuries.
Herro scored 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting, and was also the guiding force as a depleted lineup beat the Warriors to start a challenging five-game road trip in the Western Conference.
“It’s still about making decisions,” Spoelstra said. “The ball will be in his hands. He has a gift for scoring, he has a talent for it. He has a feel for the corners and how to put the ball in the basket. He has a great touch, he can do it from all three levels. Now, the problem is only in the decision-making, because the plan has been set against him. Sometimes you take the ball away early, sometimes you play against traps, sometimes it’s different coverages, sometimes it’s zone. We saw everything today.”
Erik Spoelstra: Tyler Herro ‘feels a responsibility’
One of the key elements of the Miami Heat’s win over the Warriors was protecting the ball, as they allowed just seven turnovers to the Warriors’ 13. Herro, despite having the ball in his hands for most of the game, made only two turnovers.
“He reads the game, sometimes he gives himself over to the play, sometimes he’s decisive,” Spoelstra said. “I think you learn all these things with time and experience. And he really feels the responsibility that the ball is in your hands. That’s the responsibility of the team. He’s getting better at that.”
The Fever managed to win despite an unusual starting five that included Tyler Herro and second star Bam Adebayo, as well as two-way defenseman R.J. Hampton, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and forward Haywood Highsmith. The Fever got 29 points off the bench from Jamal Cain and Nikola Jovic, who have been regulars in the G-League.
Miami Heat are 7-1 in Herr’s last 8 games:
Herro admitted that he is increasingly establishing himself as a leader. The Heat started this season 1-4, then won three in a row before Herro was out for just over a month with an ankle injury. After his return, they were 4-1 up, although they failed to recover.
For a player who has been criticised for not being a winner, it is worth pointing out that the Heat are 7-1 in Tyler Herro’s last eight games.