After consecutive losses to Sacramento and Golden State, the Miami Heat found themselves enduring yet another strenuous Western Conference road trip. Plagued by injuries, this current slate has recently cost them star forward, Jimmy Butler, who suffered a right ankle ailment on Monday against the Warriors.
Attempting to follow up in Butler’s absence, Miami would also face the task of competing without Kyle Lowry in their latest win over the Portland Trail Blazers, being ejected late in the first half of that one.
It seems like all before you knew it, a large portion of the point-manufacturing had shifted from Butler to Lowry and then to lastly in the direction of Tyler Herro — all in a six-quarter span.
However, Miami would collectively withstand the Portland Trail-Blazers, 115-109. In the process, they also survived what’s been an apparent and abysmal offensive slump from Herro, who was also handed an ejection near the end of Wednesday’s matchup.
Miami Heat: Tyler Herro Struggling Against Increased Defensive Pressure
The Miami Heat’s second-leading scorer, a three-level scoring enigma, has seen a recent drop in shooting efficiency, which has served to help highlight many of Herro’s weaknesses. While he’s still averaging just over 18 points through his previous four outings, he’s combined for just 25-86 from the field (29.1 percent) and 11-42 on his three-point field goals (26.2).
TYLER HERRO SHOOTING NUMBERS (LAST FOUR GAMES)
- DEC 31 AT HOUSTON: 16 points, 5-17 field goals, 1-9 from three
- JAN 02 AT SACRAMENTO: 22 points, 8-23 field goals, 4-11 from three
- JAN 03 AT GOLDEN STATE: 18 points, 7-23 field goals, 4-13 from three
- JAN 05 AT PORTLAND: 16 points, 5-23 field goals, 2-9 from three
Pinned as a Miami Heat starter in three of those four matchups, Tyler has been at the very forefront of scouting reports. Opposing defenses are beginning to dial in on his shot tendencies, neutralizing those certain areas that have made this a prodigious season for the third-year guard.
While Herro’s volume has drastically increased with the absence of several Heat talents, it’s come with an abundance of tighter coverages and stronger closeouts. All of which are helping to stimulate lower percentages and quite evidently, several ill-advised shot attempts.
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.
Miami Heat: Tyler Herro Has A Ton Of Game And Has To Play Like It
Another option would be for Herro to pull it out to the top of the key, therefore forcing Wood into defending him in single coverage. While Herro hasn’t been a terrific isolation scorer, the opportunity to attack downhill against a slower-footed matchup, potentially drawing a shooting foul, is well within his odds.
- For Isolation attempts, Herro has accrued just 0.66 Points Per Possession, which ranks 141 out of 200 qualified players (17th percentile).
As it’s become difficult for Herro to consistently find high-quality shots, attempting to find an opening from close-range is valuable if he’s consistent, but these attempts should also be taken in moderation.
While he remains as one of the more prominent deep mid-range scorers in the league, Herro’s challenge resides in creating enough space to deter rim protectors or drop defenders from disrupting his ability to execute.
Take this particular play versus Golden State as a clear example.
Miami begins this possession with Herro handling, as Chris Silva attempts to slip through after setting a ball screen. It takes an all-time great defender, such as Draymond Green, to not only switch but to stay connected to the roller while also staying aware of where the ball is.
Herro again attacks downhill and uses a hesitation dribble to get past Looney for a high-angle layup. Green doesn’t have the length to block the shot, allowing Tyler Herro to get one of the few finishes of his that would go that evening.
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT — AND HERRO IS WORTH THE WAIT
Although this current progression could be looked upon as exasperating, it’s a double-edged sword to have one player on your roster who is the only player who can manufacture three-level scoring — while still turning just 22 years old within the next several days.
Herro’s green light within the Heat’s offense will remain lit and it’s not that the Heat need him to continue being aggressive with his reps, but more because he’s rightfully earned the opportunity to find his offense.
That’s especially if winning comes along with it. With the Miami Heat missing over half of their scoring production on most nights, there are growing pains that come along with it all.
Whether he’s pinned into a starter role or is the first player off Miami’s bench, Herro should always be a go-to scoring option. For him, seeing north of 20 field-goal attempts on a nightly basis has become normal.
It’s simply about finding the right looks. This should always be the consensus on a great young scorer and Herro isn’t an exception.
Defenses are required to make winning adjustments, which leaves it up to the scorer to somehow figure out the alternatives. For Tyler, this is truly the next step to becoming the next extraordinary complete talent and cornerstone for the Miami Heat organization.