For what was a polarizing 2020-21 campaign for Miami Heat shooting guard, Tyler Herro, it could be argued that this year was an improvement for the former Kentucky alum. While missing several games early in the year due to the NBA’s Heath and Safety protocols, we were able to see glimpses of Boy Wonder’s gleaming future.
In 54 games played with 15 starts, Herro finished with season averages of 15.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, on 44 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from three. While he did log heavy minutes, as given by head coach Erik Spoelstra (30.3 minutes), it was clear that trust was instilled into his second-year guard.
Offensive Grade: B
Regardless of where the Heat ranked offensively this year, for a 21 year-old to become the team’s third-leading scorer behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, it’s promising, and shouldn’t be understated. Herro, once again, provided an artistry of shot-creating opportunities and getting to different areas on the floor — as Miami expected him to after selecting him 13th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Even with a slight frame of 195 pounds, Herro still brings the height of a prototypical NBA guard at 6’5”, granting him more leverage to shoot over defenders. That also leans to him being adept at being able to finish in traffic.
The Miami Heat didn’t get a “leap” from Tyler Herro this season, but they still have something special.
There were more than a few bright spots for Herro this season — from a 31 point and 12-20 shooting night in a three-point win over Sacramento in late-December to a clutch, 24-point and 11 rebound effort in a, 129-121, clincher against the Boston Celtics. Herro made major contributions to assist Miami in securing a postseason spot this season and to ultimately avoid the 2021 Play-In tournament.
Flourishing best with the Heat’s second-unit, Tyler showed strong chemistry with veteran reserve, Goran Dragic, for which they particularly built during last year’s postseason run. And not only did seeing elite competition throughout last year’s Bubble Tournament improve his confidence as a scorer, Herro also took on a larger playmaking role while other Heat guards were in and out of the lineup.
As Herro’s shooting efficiencies wavered throughout the year, the same couldn’t be said for his confidence. Even at his age, Herro knows he’s out there for one reason and it’s to put points on the board any way he can.
Defensive Grade: C-
While it’s not the strongest part of his game anyway, Herro didn’t show much improvement on the defensive end this season, but this is a result of Miami taking a step-back (as a team) from their usual potencies overall as a team, more than anything.
In the 2019-20 season, Herro held opposing guards to 41 percent shooting (132-317 field-goals) and 31 percent from outside but in 2020-21, but those numbers trended up to about 45 percent from the field — and a ridiculously awful 40.7 percent from the three-point line this season.
The Miami Heat know what they have in Tyler Herro, a flat-out bucket getter.
While Herro likely won’t ever be known as a lockdown defender, we’ve seen many offensive guards (such as Kyle Korver) grow to make better reads and improve on that end for contending teams. Even with just the slightest tinkering in footwork and reaction time, the Heat will be able to feature Herro in more lineups that will require picking up the league’s premier guards.
Overall Grade: B-
Many will refuse to buy into Herro’s current stock and you can’t blame them, since he couldn’t make “the leap” which many had hoped for. However, this is truly an unfair assessment, given that he’s played behind a pair of All-Star cornerstones and on a team of groomed veterans.
The Heat will be more invested into their established stars, rather than an unproven whiz kid, which is a respectful approach for building a winning team and the continued development of a young player. That’s, actually, to be expected.
Herro’s time will soon come and it could be very soon. Playing well beyond his years, he’s already received the professional experience that most second-year players don’t get this early into their careers.
And while it remains to be seen if he returns in a Heat uniform next season, the pressure of proving to anyone of his gifted potential, should be the last thing of Tyler’s worries —as he’s already proving it now.