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The Miami Heat improved to 6-1 on the 2021-22 NBA campaign by giving the Dallas Mavericks their first home loss of the season on Tuesday. And while the Heat saw four players score 20-plus points in the contest, it was once again Tyler Herro who led the way off the bench for Erik Spoelstra’s crew.
Herro was a walking bucket in the first half, scoring 17 of those points; 15 of which came as part of Miami’s 46-spot in the second quarter.
As common as Herro’s off-the-bench outbursts have become, though, there’s nothing common about what the 21-year-old has done in total so far this season. As relayed by the Heat via Twitter, his 157 points scored off the bench to date are the most points by a reserve through his first seven games to open a season in league history.
If you ask Herro, though, the whole thing is NBD (that’s no big deal).
Herro on His Milestone
Miami’s resident super-sub may be the guy who once compared himself to Mavs superstar Luka Doncic, but he was relatively low-key about his seven-game record. When it was brought to his attention that he had accomplished the feat, this was his response, via the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang:
“That’s cool, I guess.”
Don’t let him fool you, though. What Herro is doing is a big deal and a major part of the Heat’s hot start. Through seven games, his net rating is a massive 18.3. Against the Mavericks, Miami outscored its opponent by a team-high 21 points when he was on the floor.
It’s probably safe to say, too, that his propensity for getting buckets has made him the clear frontrunner for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Just for frame of reference, the last two players to take home that trophy — Jordan Clarkson and Montrezl Harrell — logged 105 and 135 points, respectively, over the first seven games of their award-winning seasons.
Heading into his squad’s November 4 bout with the Boston Celtics, Herro is second on the Heat in scoring at 22.4 PPG and leads the team’s major minute-getters in three-point percentage at 40.8.
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Adebayo Returns After One-Game Absence
After missing the Heat’s Saturday win over the Memphis Grizzlies with a left knee bruise, big man Bam Adebayo was back in action against the Mavs. He didn’t appear to be worse for wear, either. In 32 minutes of play, the former All-Star put up 22 points and 13 rebounds to log his fifth double-double of the season.
As ever, though, his biggest contributions may have come at the defensive end. Against the Mavs, Adebayo picked up a season-high two blocked shots. And while that particular stat has been down for him in 2021-22, Adebayo’s impact as a paint deterrent isn’t lost on new teammate Kyle Lowry.
“He probably should win Defensive Player of the Year,” Lowry declared post-game.
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