Herro becomes fourth-quarter assassin. And two ex-guards on why Heat can win title
A six-pack of Miami Heat notes on a Tuesday:
▪ Not only is Tyler Herro the NBA’s leading bench scorer and among the NBA’s most improved players, he is developing another specialty: fourth-quarter assassin.
Herro’s 88 points in the fourth quarter rank third in the NBA, behind only DeMar DeRozan (105) and Cole Anthony (89).
His 6.3 points per game in the fourth rank fifth among all players (minimum 10 games).
What’s more, Herro is shooting 50.8 percent from the field in the fourth and 13 for 26 on threes.
Carmelo Anthony and CJ McCollum are the only NBA players who have made as many fourth-quarter threes as Herro with a higher shooting percentage.
Herro’s 33 field goals in the fourth quarter are behind only DeRozan’s 40.
His 139 fourth-quarter minutes are second most, behind Charlotte’s Miles Bridges.
Last season, Herro was 64th in fourth-quarter points with 218, but he shot just 40.4 percent and 32.3 percent on threes (30 for 93).
So the improvement in that part of his game — like in several other areas — has been dramatic.
Herro has displayed a knack for making difficult shots all season.
Erik Spoelstra isn’t surprised.
“Yes [it would surprise me] if I hadn’t seen him so often in our workouts, in practices and his summer development. If I hadn’t seen all of that, then maybe you would look at some of these plays and say, ‘Well, what else is available?’” Spoelstra said.
“But I’ve seen him make and work on those shots hour after hour. And he’s improved his playmaking ability as well because most teams now are not just letting him come off freely on pick-and-rolls. They’re either switching or jump switching, or trapping him and his passing and hitting the open guy has really improved. But those traps and jump switches are born out of respect because of his shot making ability, and he’s earned that.”
Herro’s shooting percentage has jumped from 43.9 percent last season to 46.1 and three-point shooting from 36.0 to 39.4. His points per game are up from 15.1 to 21.9.
▪ ESPN’s Tim Legler recently explained why he wouldn’t be surprised if the Heat wins the NBA championship:
“You look at what they can put on the floor. You add a Kyle Lowry. You add a P.J. Tucker to the mix to go with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo. Even a guy like Tyler Herro. Duncan Robinson is long. So the length, the versatility, allows them to get up in you and it allows you to create situations where you are not at a disadvantage even when you switch.”
Legler speaks of the team’s “competitive stamina” and how hard they close out on shooters. “That’s what Miami does. They close out the three-point line. They help off penetration. Then they give you the second effort on the same possession.
“The IQ, the toughness. Kyle Lowry brings so much to this team. The day that they got him, I said this is a team you have to take seriously as a Finals contender and maybe a team that can win the whole thing.”
What’s the ceiling for this team?
“The ceiling is a parade in Miami,” Legler said. “Can they actually get it all done? They can. This is the best defensive team in the league and now you have Tyler Herro back at a level where he gives you that firepower that you’re going to need every night.
“Their first four wins, they held teams under 100 points. In modern NBA basketball, it’s very difficult to do that, period, much less four consecutive wins. They can beat you multiple ways. I’m all in. I also think Erik Spoelstra is one of the top five coaches in the league. I’ve thought that for the last decade. You add that all up, I think this team can take it all the way across the finish line.”
▪ ESPN’s JJ Redick agrees with Legler that the Heat has championship potential.
“What is the Heat ceiling?” Redick said. “Anybody that has listened to my podcast knows that I’ve been basically running a Miami Heat podcast. I drink the Heat culture Kool-Aid.
“To me, this is the clear front-runner in the Eastern Conference. They’ve got the No. 1 defense so far, they’ve got the No. 2 offense so far. Will they win a championship? I don’t know that. But they certainly have the ceiling to win an NBA championship this season.”
▪ Donovan Mitchell said one problem that Adebayo has created for defenders is he’s “starting to shoot from the elbow more, which you have got to respect [and] which creates confusion. He’s improved it. I’ve seen him work on it each summer. He’s improved each year.”
Adebayo is actually shooting a lower percentage from the midrange this season (38.6) than last (42.4), though his overall offensive game has improved.
Mitchell said “he’s able to score it, he’s able to pass it [and that’s] the biggest thing with him. I’ve known him since high school, and he’s willing to get others involved. I tell him to shoot threes. He doesn’t listen to me.
“The biggest thing is those handoffs. You’ve got to respect it. He’s strong, he’s wide, so he’s able to get those handoffs. To be able to make so many plays, dribble off the bounces [is impressive].”
▪ Good to see KZ Okpala make decent use of rare minutes on Monday (8 points, 7 rebounds, a steal in 15 minutes), though he again struggled with his shot (3 for 9).
Players this season are shooting 2 for 9 when Okpala defends them after shooting 82 for 200 last season. So since the start of last season, he’s allowing the player he’s defending to shoot 40.1 percent, which is excellent defensively.
▪ Though the Heat would have interest in adding point guard John Wall if he’s bought out by Houston, ESPN said that’s not happening because Wall doesn’t want to give up his $47.4 million player option next season, let alone his $44.3 million salary this season.
