Two NBA greats bullish on Heat’s Herro. And Robinson answers some pointed questions
Some Miami Heat notes on a Tuesday:
▪ Tyler Herro’s stupendous start to the season has elicited praise from a couple of NBA greats.
When the Heat played the Clippers last month, Kawhi Leonard - who’s out indefinitely while recovering from last season’s knee injury - approached Herro.
“Kawhi said ‘Keep going, keep killing, keep trying to prove myself and be myself. ‘That’s important.”
Herro also appreciates kind words from Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.
“I saw a little video KD did on a podcast,” Herro said. “He said something along the lines of the way I play, my skill set, he feels I can continue to change the game and push the game forward.”
Getting that positive feedback was meaningful to him.
“Two guys I’ve looked up to pretty much my whole life playing basketball said some nice things about me,” Herro said. “But I feel like it’s just a start. Need to keep getting better.”
Herro is averaging 20.3 points and 5.2 rebounds and shooting 38.2 percent on threes.
He’s in a mini-shooting slump, having made 16 of his last 43 shots from the field and 4 of his past 16 three-pointers over the past three games.
▪ Some have speculated whether psychological factors - perhaps the pressure of his five-year, $90 million deal - have contributed to Duncan Robinson’s slow start. (He’s shooting 33.6 percent on threes, compared to 40.8 last season, and his points per game have dropped from 13.1 to 11.1).
So I asked the good-natured Robinson several pointed questions:
Does the contract ever weigh on you in terms of performance?
“No, not necessarily,” he said. “I think it’s an adjustment like anything. There was a little bit of a mental transition I had to go through in terms of learning how to wrestle with different contexts. But I’ve moved past all that. I’m just focused on playing basketball and doing my job.”
Have you ever considered talking to someone who can help from psychological standpoint? (Sports psychologists are common in sports.)
“Prior to this year, I’ve worked with people throughout my career at various points. It’s not a matter of it’s broken, I’ve got to fix it. It’s more of: Everybody, if they have the resources or if they don’t, try to seek out the resources to maximize, optimize your opportunity.”
Has he done that this year?
Yes, he said.
Have you been really hard on yourself where it eats at you if your 3-point efficiency is not where you want it to be on a particular night?
“For sure. That’s kind of how I operate. I hold myself to a high standard and I expect to perform at a high level. I’ve grown a lot this year. I’ve gone through different stretches kind of learning how to wrestle with different things. It’s definitely a learning experience.”
What’s it like on a night you shoot 2 for 9 on threes? Do you go home and study the tape?
“Regardless, whether it’s 2 for 9 or 8 or 9, I usually watch it over and try to learn and at a certain point, you have to take with you what you think is pertinent or relevant and then kind of forget it and move forward.”
Are there sleepless nights on nights you shoot poorly from three-point range?
“Of course, if the ball is not going in, it’s on your mind. But I’m not staying up all night thinking about it. I try to compartmentalize the best I can.”
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said he believes the new basketball is contributing to the diminished three-point shooting around the league. Has it impacted you in a negative way?
“No. I just think, like any sort of adjustment, there’s a little bit of a break-in period. It’s a level playing field. Everyone is playing with the same ball.”
As HoopsHabit noted, Robinson has 11 games this season in which he has shot 25 percent or worse on threes, compared with 13 the previous two seasons combined. Robinson needs to get to the line more; he has 21 free throw attempts in 28 games.
But as Erik Spoelstra said Saturday, “Duncan has been playing well for a while and has created good things for us offensively. The shame of it is he only gets evaluated by how many threes he hits. That’s a hard thing for everybody to manage, but he’s been plugging away and really putting together productive plays. It’s cutting, putting the ball on the floor, creating actions when they trap him. He’s really improved as a passer.”
▪ Best story of the week, courtesy of P.J. Tucker, who was laughing as he told it:
“The other day, [Heat president Pat Riley] pulled beside me at a [traffic] light, and I didn’t know it was him. He rolled his windows down and goes, ‘I love you!’ and drove off. I sat there at the light seven seconds. That just happened the other night. I’m like, ‘Allright Pat.’”
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 2:14 PM.
