The Miami Heat Must Not Lose Patience With Tyler Herro
By Isiah Curry
Miami Heat Patience: Tyler Herro gradually improving, although more philosophically right now.
While the defensive side is imperative and one thing in itself, there is still the issue of his game on the other side of the ball right now. On the offensive side of the things for the Miami Heat, Tyler Herro must continue to find comfort within the team’s offense.
The Heat’s offensive approach to this season is relatively the same as last year. Their identity is to score collectively from a seven-to-eight player rotation.
As five-time All-Star, Jimmy Butler holds the mantle as Miami’s leading scorer, fellow All-Star Center, Bam Adebayo, has followed suit. Other key talents have complimented Miami’s top stars, which includes Nunn and Duncan Robinson plus veterans like Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk.
Herro, on most nights, has been the Heat’s third-best scorer, as he should be moving forward. Let’s look back at some of his strongest recorded outings so far throughout his young career.
- 21 points, 8-13 shooting, 15 rebounds, an 11-point win over Milwaukee (12/29/30)
- 31 points, 12-20 shooting, nine rebounds, a four-point win over Washington (12/30/20)
- 27 points, 12-16 shooting, an eight-point win over Sacramento (2/18/21)
- 22 points, 8-16 shooting, eight rebounds, a five-point win over Orlando (3/14/2021)
Although having an increased scoring output, Herro’s shooting efficiencies have plummeted in all categories in his sophomore year. Part of the reason for this is due to a larger role.
While it’s clear the Miami Heat have instilled faith into Herro’s ability to generate offense, they have to keep in mind that age and experience are invaluable qualities for an NBA player. Herro just hasn’t built enough credibility and mental currently with himself to consistently perform at a high level in late-game situations on a game to game basis across 82 games.
The Heat’s recent 106-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers Sunday afternoon was a prime example of this concept and at the same time, his ongoing struggles.