Getty Tyler Herro drives by Solomon Hill en route to 26 points in the preseason opener for the Miami Heat.
Tyler Herro crowed all offseason about people sleeping on him. The Miami Heat star was determined to wake everybody up. Well, it’s only one preseason game but Herro looks committed and focused.
The third-year guard was the best player on the court in a 125-99 win on Monday night (Oct. 4) in the exhibition opener. Herro dropped a game-high 26 points in 26 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks, including 14 straight points in the first quarter. He shot 9-of-12 from the field while going 3-of-4 from deep. Herro also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists.
“Mentally, I’m really locked in. Mentally, I love where I’m at,” Herro told reporters. “And then like you said, being confident is a big part of my game, and and I feel like I’m confident at even another level right now. And that’s my plan for the whole season.”
TYLER HERRO’s 1st Quarter 🔥
16 PTS (7/9 FG), including 14 straight!
It all started immediately following Miami’s first-round playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Herro dedicated himself to getting better and strengthening his body.
“He’s had a great offseason and summer of work, and it started pretty quickly after the Milwaukee series,” head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “Tyler started spending time in the weight room and spent a great deal of time just honing his skills.”
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‘Nowhere Near’ Where They Want To Be
Herro was pleased with the way the Heat played in the preseason opener. Miami pushed the pace and dictated tempo, giving everyone a sneak peek of how dangerous this offense can be. But Herro cautioned on looking too much at one game. This team has a long way to go.
“First preseason game, we haven’t done anything yet,” Herro told Bally Sports Sun. “A lot of new faces on the team so you know, we’re really locked in and continuing to get better every day. We’re nowhere near where we want to be.”
“We’re just having a lot of fun”
Tyler Herro speaks to @kristenhewitt after his 26-point performance in the Heat’s first pre-season game!
Remember, the Heat just reported to training camp on Sept. 27. The squad has been together for a mere six practices as they look to integrate new pieces like Kyle Lowry, Markieff Morris, PJ Tucker.
“We got a bunch of unselfish guys on our team,” Hero said. “We had a great training camp. We’ve been working all week. Offensively, sharing the ball, getting in transition, so we’re just having a lot of fun.”
Kyle Lowry Already Impressing
Kyle Lowry looked as good as advertised versus Atlanta. The six-time All-Star had five points and seven assists in 15 minutes for a plus-10. More importantly, Lowry spread the ball around to five different players. He is the true point guard the Heat have been searching for.
“It’s his brain speed. That’s what you always dreaded on the other side,” Spoelstra said, via Sun-Sentinel. “You couldn’t relax for one second or one possession. He’s always scanning, looking ahead, looking for any weakness in the defense, particularly early in the clock.
“And if he doesn’t feel like it’s there, then he has a great feel for it when to get organized and get the ball where it needs to go.”
Jimmy Butler took the night off in the opener. Spoelstra put out a starting five consisting of three guards – Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro – alongside big men Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker. Those guys accounted for 64 points, or 51.2% of the total scoring.
a video of HEAT guard Kyle Lowry dishing out 7 dimes