Getty Miami Heat star Tyler Herro takes the ball to the hoop during a bout with the New York Knicks.
Ever since the Miami Heat came back from the NBA All-Star break, Tyler Herro has been on a different level for the club. He was already having a career year before the February recess, of course, but now he’s playing like a super-sized version of himself, particularly on offense.
Over Miami’s last five games, Herro is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Meanwhile, he’s knocking down 51.5% of his shot attempts overall and 44.4% from three-point range.
He’s also the Heat’s most positive player since the break. In his 165 minutes on the court, the team has outscored opponents by a whopping 65 points.
Although some would point to his big All-Star snubbing as a driving force behind the sudden uptick — and there may be something in play there — Herro just credited his recent fireworks to a small tweak in his offensive approach.
Herro Makes an Adjustment
As Herro sees it, his reputation as a shooter is well-established. So, in an effort to keep opposing defenses off-balance, he’s made a point to get himself closer to the tin.
“I think people know I’m a shooter. I shoot the ball well,” Herro said, via the Miami Herald. “But I think my best thing is off the dribble, getting in the paint, attacking, getting to the mid-range, getting to the rim. I think that’s what I do best.
“I think I’m hard to stay in front of when you’re playing the shot and then my handle gets me to where I want to go.”
Although the mid-range has been decent to him — he’s at 42% on shots between three and 16 feet from the hoop for his career — he’s made an extra effort to get all the way to the basket when he can.
“A lot of the mismatches I was drawing, I would break my defender down and I would try to get to the mid-range,” Herro said. “I think going at seven-footers when they’re chasing me from behind, it’s a tough shot. So just trying to get all the way to the rim, get into their angle and try to get an and-one.”
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Herro’s New Mindset Allowing Him to Live at the Line
While having an attacking mentality has allowed Herro to get more favorable shots in general, it has also resulted in more free throw opportunities for the third-year guard.
In games contested prior to the All-Star break, he averaged just 3.1 free throw attempts per game. Over his last five contests, however, Herro is up to 5.4 attempts at the charity stripe on average.
Between that, a slight bump in his three-point attempts and his increasing conversion rate overall, Herro has averaged 1.43 points per shot attempt post-break after being at 1.16 beforehand. Still, though, not an All-Star (apparently)…
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