Tyler Herro becomes first Miami Heat player to win NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award
Tyler Herro’s resume now includes a feat no other player has ever been able to accomplish while with the Miami Heat.
Herro was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, as expected, on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old guard became the first Heat player in franchise history to win the award, which is handed out to the league’s best bench player each season.
As the clear-cut favorite to earn the honor, Herro beat out fellow finalists Cam Johnson from the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Love from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the voting done by a panel of 100 media members. It wasn’t a close race, as Herro received 96 of the 100 first-place votes.
Herro was presented with the award after practice on Tuesday afternoon at FTX Arena and the announcement was made to the public that evening. In a video captured by the league, Herro’s Heat teammates and coaches huddled around him to celebrate the news following practice with team captain Udonis Haslem addressing Herro before handing him the Sixth Man of the Year trophy.
“In today’s NBA, honestly, you can be a star off the bench, you can be a star in whatever role if you see the big picture, if the team is winning,” Haslem said to Herro. “To have a young player trust in what I say and trust in what we say, that’s big because they all have their own vision. Also, being a father, managing being a father, being an NBA player, Sixth Man of the Year, and giving us what we ask from you. That’s a lot, that’s big. You took a lot of steps this year, man. It’s bigger than Sixth Man of the Year for you, bro. You took a lot of steps just being a man, being a professional. So I’m proud of you.”
Of that moment following Tuesday’s practice, Herro said on TNT shortly after the Sixth Man of the Year announcement was made: “It meant everything just to get the award from OG [Haslem] and the rest of my teammates. This couldn’t happen without them. They allow me to be myself coming off the bench. My teammates, coaches, this one wouldn’t happen without them. I couldn’t thank them enough, especially OG.”
Herro closed the regular season as the NBA’s top bench scorer with 20.8 points per game in 56 games as a reserve. Among those who appeared in at least 50 games as a reserve, Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson ranked second with 15.9 points per game after winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award last season.
Herro also finished the regular season as the Heat’s second-leading scorer with 20.7 points per game, which includes the 10 starts he made, behind only Jimmy Butler.
“He’s our sixth starter,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Herro earlier this postseason. “Everything is so antiquated just in terms of labeling positions, starters, all of those things. He plays starter’s minutes, he closes games for us. That’s really what matters. So what, he comes in five minutes into a game. But I get it. It will be nice to see him get rewarded for that because he’s been so productive and been a big part of us winning. If that can be recognized for an award, it’s not the end-all-be-all, but certainly those are nice things for players.”
Herro has made it known he hopes to be an NBA starter soon, but he accepted his reserve role and thrived in it this season.
“It’s tough. But just realizing where I’m at,” Herro said on the TNT broadcast of playing off the bench. “I’m on the best team in the East as a young guy playing starter’s minutes. I take the most shots on the team. My teammates and coaches, they trust me with the ball. I really couldn’t ask for much more and I’m in a great position for now and for the future.
“We came into this season wanted to be at the top of the East and win a championship. Guys got to know their roles, adapt to their roles and accept their roles. That’s what I did. I accepted my role and it’s worked out so far. I just got to keep going.”
The only three players who have won Sixth Man of the Year with a higher scoring average than Herro’s this regular season are: Lou Williams (averaged 22.6 points in 2017-18), Eddie Johnson (averaged 21.5 points in 1988-89) and Ricky Pierce (averaged 23 points in 1989-90).
With Herro scoring at least 30 points off the bench in eight games during the regular season, it’s tied for the third-most by a reserve in a season in NBA history since starts were tracked in 1970-71 behind only Pierce (17 such games in 1989-90) and Williams (11 such games in 2017-18).
Herro is also just the fourth player in league history to score at least 25 points off the bench in 20 or more games during a regular season, joining Pierce (who did it twice), Thurl Bailey and Eddie Johnson.
In addition, Herro set the Heat record for the most points off the bench by one player in a single regular season. Dwyane Wade held the record before Herro broke it this season.
Along with scoring a lot of points, Herro also displayed improved shooting efficiency and playmaking. He shot a career-best 44.7 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three-point range, while averaging a career-high four assists this regular season.
Herro is one of three NBA players who averaged at least 20 points while shooting 44 percent or better from the field and 39 percent or better on threes this regular season. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns are the other two players on that list.
Herro has also been one of the driving forces behind the Heat’s success as a team. The Heat was 1.7 points better per 100 possessions when Herro was on the court compared to when he wasn’t playing in the regular season.
The Heat’s only other award finalist for this season is Spoelstra for the NBA’s Coach of the Year, with the winner to be announced at some point during the playoffs. Heat center Bam Adebayo was not named a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year Award that went to Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, as Adebayo finished fourth in the voting.
In addition, Adebayo and Butler are likely to receive votes for the league’s All-NBA Teams and All-Defensive teams, which will also be announced later this postseason.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 6:32 PM.
