Miami Heat: Tyler Herro’s Struggles Are Product Of Defensive Attention As Well
It isn’t just something he’s doing on his own though. As stated, he’s made the opposing scouting reports at this point.
Let’s dive into how the defense is making Herro work harder than he’s ever had to in his young career, thus far.
OPPOSING DEFENSES ARE FOCUSING ON TAKING AWAY HERRO’S STRONG-SUIT
Factoring in an improved shot-base to help in converting jumpers with a high degree of difficulty, it has helped to lift Herro’s shot-making ability. Through the first half of this season, a refurbished offensive artillery has been evident for Tyler, but an adjustment that defenses have made is forcing him away from his desired shot locations.
It’s begun by taking away his creativity from in-between.
A signature play design that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has used this season is a dead-ball action that frees up Herro for a quick baseline jumper after he approaches the inbound passer. He does it here in this possession below, as Tyler curls off a screen from Omer Yurtseven.
Though, keep an eye on Houston’s defensive attentiveness here in this clip from NBA.com.
Once Herro receives the pass, he sees a hard closeout from Kevin Porter Jr. after he makes a strong effort in fighting through the screener. Herro pump fakes and as he begins to probe just inside the painted area, he receives a second screen from Yurtseven, which forces Porter to switch with Christian Wood.
As Herro finally attempts the short-range jumper, Houston creates a good contest. More precisely, they force a shot attempt from within 3-10 feet of the basket — where Herro is shooting a career-worst 36 percent on the season.
Although this was still a considerably clean look, Wood’s length on the contest was certainly enough to force the miss.
Notwithstanding, there’s a pair of alternatives that come to mind in this situation.
For Herro to create the best look possible with increased defensive pressure, it would be to notice the initial mismatch with Porter Jr. switched onto Yurtseven, a potential inside score or alley-oop if the pass is aimed high.
Do keep in mind, there were 14 seconds remaining on the shot clock from the moment Tyler attempted to shoot.