Former Heat champion Ray Allen once donned number 34 for the Milwaukee Bucks early on in his career. Is Tyler Herro just honoring the Miami icon?
The most obvious explanation for Herro’s jersey choice on Tuesday is the natural correlation to former Miami Heat legend Ray Allen. Especially considering the rookie went as far as to clarify that it was an Allen jersey in the following Instagram story.
https://twitter.com/AllUCanHeat1/status/1273274904075472898
Ray Allen, famous for his game-tying shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, started his career out with the Milwaukee Bucks before retiring as a member of the Heat.
He donned jersey number 34 in both Miami and Milwaukee, which is now worn for the Bucks by 2018-2019 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. We’ll get to him later.
20-year old Herro is also playing shooting guard for the Heat, and hoping to have the same impact as the former 19-year veteran. He’s on the right track as he prepares to wrap up his rookie year.
Herro is averaging 12.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists off the bench for Miami this season. His greatest strength is just what Allen prided himself on, the 3-point shot. The Heat rookie is posting a 39 percent shooting clip on 5.4 attempts from deep per game.
Per Basketball Reference, only three rookies have done that in the 3-point era: Rudy Fernandez (2008-2009), Landry Shamet (2018-2019), and Herro. Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and the Miami Heat pride themselves on their culture. Herro showing Allen love is nothing short of that.