There is no question that Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat is having his best NBA season in his fifth year. He is averaging 24.2 points per game, up by 4.1 points from last year, as well as career highs in rebounds (5.5) and assists (4.2). He has been remarkably efficient as a shooter, too, making 46.6% of his shot and 42.7% of his 3-pointers, plus 85.7% of his free throws. But for coach Erik Spoelstra, Herro’s improvement goes beyond those numbers.
It’s more about his ability to be the Heat’s chief decision-maker, especially in games like the one on Thursday in which Herro had to be the team’s leading man with Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler both out because of injuries.
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat, got praise from coach Erik Spoelstra.
Herro had 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting, but he was also the guiding force behind the shorthanded upset of the Warriors to start off a challenging five-game Western Conference road trip.
“It’s still the decision-making,” Spoelstra said. “He is going to have the ball in his hands. He has a gift for scoring, he has a knack for it. He has just a feel for angles and how to put the ball in the basket. He has great touch, he can do it from all three levels. But now it is just the decision-making because he’s being schemed against. Sometimes you get off the ball early, sometimes you’re making plays against traps, sometimes it’s different coverages, sometimes it’s a zone. We saw basically everything tonight.”
One of the Miami Heat keys in beating the Warriors was ball protection, as they gave up just seven turnovers to 13 for the Warriors. Despite having the ball in his hands for much of the game, Herro committed only two turnovers.
“He is reading the game, sometimes letting the game come to him, sometimes being assertive,” Spoelstra said. “I think all those things you just learn over the course of time and with experience. And really feeling the responsibility of the ball being in your hands. It’s a team responsibility. He’s just been getting a lot better with that.”
The Heat were able to pull out the victory despite an odd starting five that featured Tyler Herro and fellow star Bam Adebayo with two-way guard R.J. Hampton, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and forward Haywood Highsmith. The Heat got 29 points off the bench from G-League regulars Jamal Cain and Nikola Jovic.
As for Herro, he acknowledged that he has been growing into a leadership role. The Heat started 1-4 this season, then won three straight before Herro went down for a little more than a month with an ankle injury. They’re 4-1 since his return, even as they have been unable to get healthy.
But, for a guy who has taken criticism for not being a winning player, it should be noted that the Heat are 7-1 in Tyler Herro’s last eight games.
“Just trying to be, trying to be a leader and lead this team,” Herro said. “It’s all about stacking Ws and getting wins. That’s all we play for here. Just trying to do my best job at that, being able to impact wining on both sides and make my teammates better.”
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