Miami Heat
Tyler Herro hype continues to grow with strong start to preseason: ‘I’m really locked in’
The NBA’s leading scorer this preseason entering Saturday’s slate of games: Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro.
Herro, who is still the youngest player on the Heat’s roster at 21 years old, has averaged a league-high 25.3 points while shooting 56 percent from the field and 8 of 16 (50 percent) from three-point range, five rebounds and 3.3 assists in the Heat’s first three preseason games. Miami has outscored opponents by 34 points with Herro on the court to begin the preseason with three wins.
“Tyler is the one guy that has been extremely impressive,” Heat newcomer Kyle Lowry said. “He had been playing his butt off. He’s one guy that has been truly impressive to me.”
It has only been three preseason games and Herro has put together eye-opening performances in exhibitions before, like when he scored 23 points in a 2019 preseason win over the Atlanta Hawks as a rookie. But even Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes this season’s impressive preseason display, which has included 76 points in 85 minutes, is an accurate representation of the player Herro is becoming in his third NBA season.
“He has really improved all across the board,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat idle until it plays its fourth of six preseason games on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets at FTX Arena. “His skill level is extremely high. He has really worked at it. This is a league that’s becoming a league of skill and he’s developing into one of the most skilled players in this league. You can see he gets where he needs to get. He can get to different levels on the floor. So, it’s a very good start for him.”
Herro proved in the first two seasons of his NBA career that he can score points in bunches, and it’s that trait that will make him a valuable part of the Heat’s rotation as the sixth man. He has scored 24 or more points in each of the first three exhibition games, including 26 points in Friday’s road win over the San Antonio Spurs.
But it’s the efficiency that Herro has scored with that has been most impressive. He has totaled 76 points on 50 shots this preseason, with the help of 12-of-20 (60 percent) shooting on midrange attempts.
“For my first two years, a lot of people said that’s an inefficient shot,” Herro said. “But after watching the Finals, you see [Devin] Booker and Chris Paul, you see how they really the whole playoffs, they worked the midrange and got to their spots. They were really efficient in those areas. So that’s an emphasis we had all summer was working on that and being able to be efficient. Not just take those shots, but make them. So I just have to continue to knock down those shots.”
Continuing to make midrange shots at that efficient rate will be the challenge, as Herro shot 39.4 percent as a rookie and 42.9 percent in his second season from that area of the court.
“You’re just seeing the evolution of a very good basketball player,” Spoelstra said. “Extremely skilled and he has really been working at his craft and the skill level, making different reads. All of that is becoming more advanced.”
Along with adding 10-plus pounds to help with his strength on both ends of the court, Herro also worked to diversify his offensive game this summer. He added a running floater that he has already used a few times this preseason and is actively trying to draw more fouls to increase his free-throw attempts.
Of the floater, Herro said: “I think it’s a really efficient shot for me, as opposed to getting all the way to the rim against 7-footers all the time. Whether it’s pulling up in the midrange or getting to that floater, I think I can be really, really efficient in that area all season.”
Herro also noted that getting to the foul line has “been an emphasis” because “getting to the line will not only help me, but it will help the team draw fouls to get closer to the bonus for the end of the quarters.” He averaged 2.2 free-throw attempts per game last season, but has taken six free throws in two of the first three preseason games this year.
There has been hype surrounding Herro’s game before.
Herro skyrocketed to fame when he helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals with a historic postseason in 2020 as a rookie in the Walt Disney World bubble. He joined Magic Johnson as the only two players in NBA history to score 37 or more points in a playoff game at age 20 or younger and also became just the sixth rookie in NBA history to score more than 300 points in the playoffs.
But it was an up-and-down sophomore NBA season for Herro. He was moved to a bench role after starting in his first 14 appearances, and then battled multiple injuries throughout the year before averaging just 9.3 points on 31.6 percent shooting in the Heat’s first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks last season.
Following his first full NBA offseason, though, Herro has moved past the highs and lows he has endured to begin his Heat career. There’s clarity surrounding his role now and he actually had the time to work on and refine his game this summer after a historically short offseason last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mentally, I’m really locked in. I love where I’m at,” said Herro, whose girlfriend, Katya Elise Henry, recently gave birth to their first child, Zya Elise Herro. “Being confident is a big part of my game. I feel like I’m confident at even another level right now. That’s my plan for the whole season.”
That’s a good sign for Herro and the Heat.
“It’s always confidence with that kid,” star teammate Jimmy Butler said. “I think he’s growing into who he’s going to be in this league. I think we’re all proud of him, especially me. He’s having fun while he’s doing it.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2021, 10:24 AM.
