Heat’s Tyler Herro reveals his stands on his critics.
Guard Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat, who had been rehabbing from a sprained right ankle for over six weeks, heard the outside noise. Does Herro’s absence improve the Heat? Should Herro take a bench position? Is Herro’s value to the Heat as a trade piece greater than his on-court worth? But Herro disregarded it all. Herro, who turns 24 on January 20, added, “I mean, people love to talk about me, so I don’t really feed into it.”
“Everything from this to that, wins or losses, points or no points, what I wear, everything, people talk about me all day, literally all day.” Picking up where he left off in his typical starting role prior to spraining his ankle during a Nov. 8 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, PM Herro is attempting to craft a new story through his play. Following a career-high thirty points on eleven of twenty-one field goals and seven of thirteen three-pointers to assist the Heat in defeating the Atlanta Hawks 122-113 on Friday night at Kaseya Center.
In his first three games back from injury, Herro has shown signs of improvement on defense, averaging 27.7 points, six rebounds, 3.7 assists, one steal, and 55.4 percent shooting from the field and 12-of-24 (50 percent) from three-point range. Due to a strained left calf, Heat star Jimmy Butler has missed the last two games, forcing him to assume a heavier offensive role. More significantly, in the three games since Herro’s return, the Heat have outscored opponents by 9.7 points per 100 possessions while he is in the game. Herro responded, “Just more mature and I’ve been through a lot.” The Heat are off until they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Christmas Day. Thus, I’m not too
In the 11 games he has played in during his fifth NBA season, including the eight games the Heat played in the season before he missed more than a month due to a sprained ankle, Herro is averaging career-highs in points (24.2 per game), assists (4.4), and steals (1.3). He is also shooting a career-best 47.6 percent from the field and 43.5 percent on threes. When asked if he is surprised that Herro has been so sharp since his comeback, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra replied, “Usually there would be a little bit of a build up to rhythm.”
“His work ethic is the one thing you cannot undervalue or disregard. Upon gaining the ability to perform on the court, he began pushing the boundaries and putting in a lot of effort. He works tirelessly at his job. You truly need to recognize that about Tyler. This is not an isolated instance of talent. Behind the scenes, a lot of sweat equity goes into this. Herro is one of just five NBA players who entered Saturday averaging 24 or more points per game while shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range and at least 47 percent from the field. However, Herro’s availability has been restricted this season due to the ankle ailment. The Phoenix Suns are the other team on that short list.
Herro explained how he’s improved this season, saying it’s really just about reading the game and being more mature mentally. “It seems like just striking a balance between knowing when to shoot and when to pass.” I think my ability to read the defense and make the appropriate play is superior. Herro has made a name for himself as one of the top and most flexible shooters in the NBA along the way. Regarding Herro, Spoelstra remarked, “He’s a brilliant shooter and he can do it off the catch or off the dribble.” Based on NBA tracking statistics, Herro has the highest three-point percentage (51.9%) among the 222 players in the NBA who entered Saturday averaging at least two catch-and-shoot efforts per game this season.
Herro has the sixth-best effective field goal percentage (field goal percentage adjusted for made threes being 1.5 times more valuable than made twos) at 53.1 percent among the 18 NBA players who entered Saturday averaging at least eight pull-up field goals per game this season. Haliburton, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the only players behind Herro. Herro stated, “I’ve only played 11 games this year.”
I’ll continue to grow more at ease the more games I play. For me, the game will simply keep becoming slower. I’m just happy to be back on the court and in good health. Herro will not be able to meet the league’s new 65-game requirement to qualify for the postseason, regardless of what he does for the remainder of the season. This means he will not be eligible for awards such as an All-NBA team berth or other honors. Though all the games he missed will weaken his case, he is still eligible to play in his first All-Star Game this season.
He heard the outside noise the entire time, but instead of allowing it get to him, he used it as fuel to get back to the court. The outcomes clearly demonstrate the situation. He stated, “It’s definitely just being able to use those things as little motivations here and there.” However, I believe that being motivated is something I should do for myself, my family, my son and daughter, and other people. Sincerely, I don’t give a damn about what people think anymore.
