A Tyler Herro Leap Incoming, While Others Staying Stagnant

After reaching the NBA Finals in his rookie season, being included in trade talks with James Harden, and much more, Tyler Herro has had an interesting start to his NBA career. But the necessary leap in his offensive game seems to be happening right now.

Although Miami has struggled to begin the season, he’s pretty much done all that he can with the role he has been given. And his new role as the sixth man has allowed his scoring abilities to be viewed in a way that many have known to be in there.

When discussing a certain offensive leap, it’s not as much about scoring numbers per game, as it about the ways in which he’s scoring those points. When he got drafted by the Heat, he was basically looked at as a guy who can be a spot up shooter, and that may be his biggest weakness in his entire offensive package at the moment.

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He’s currently shooting 35% from three, which should not be a huge worry since that won’t be an issue for long. He’s actually shooting 39% from three off the catch and shoot, while pull-up triples are falling 31% of the time.

But surprisingly his game beyond the arc isn’t what is causing this soon to be leap. It’s actually the things he’s doing inside of the three point line.

He’s become very comfortable with putting the ball on the floor, looking for an open crevice off of a pick and roll. He has doubled his attempts when shooting a shot after 3 or more dribbles. He has a natural gift to survey the floor for dead spots, which means he has open mid-range jumpers when playing against drop coverage.

But once again, that doesn’t even seem to be the main reason for the upcoming jump. The biggest reason is his impact around the rim this season, which is even harder to do on a team that is struggling from three.

He has doubled his attempts less than 10 feet from the basket, which is a very positive thing since he has a natural feel when moving downhill. He utilizes the backboard with great touch, leading to easy points for him and creating more of a headache for a defense.

But all of that aside, there’s not much growth from many of the other guys. I’ve discussed minor improvements in Kendrick Nunn’s game with shot attempts and defensive close-outs, but it’s not enough to take this team to the next level.

Depth, improvements, youth. Those have been the terms used to describe this Heat team, but those are also words that entice other teams in the trade market.

Miami has clear holes to fill in their current roster, while other teams are searching for promising young players to insert into their program. And after the loss to the LA Clippers without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, dropping Miami to 11-16, it’s clear that players are being looked at closely.

This has been a season of many opportunities, which means players becoming stagnant in their progression is becoming even more apparent. Miami has some decisions to make, while players have some improvements to make.