Erik Spoelstra Praises Tyler Herro's Work Ethic Ahead of Game 2 vs. Sixers

The Miami Heat hosted the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night. After the Heat got off to a stellar start, gaining

The Miami Heat hosted the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night. After the Heat got off to a stellar start, gaining a 14-point lead in the first quarter, the Sixers battled back and snagged a slight lead before halftime. 

As the Sixers attempted to build a larger cushion, they lost control, and the Heat took advantage. Miami’s star bench player Tyler Herro sustained his high level of play in the second half and got the best of Philadelphia’s defense.

In the five minutes he checked into the third quarter, Herro knocked down all of his field-goal attempts for five points. When the fourth quarter rolled around, Miami kept him on the floor for all 12 minutes, and he knocked down two of his three shots from beyond the arc and collected eight points.

As the Heat put the Sixers away with a 106-92 victory, Herro led his team in scoring with 25 points in 29 minutes. And although Miami had the following day off, the young reserve still earned himself a victory as he was awarded the NBA’s Sixth-Man of the Year accolade following a practice session.

“It was a cool moment,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra ahead of Miami’s Game 2 matchup against the Sixers on Wednesday night. "There is no better guy than (Udonis Haslem) to be able to present that to Tyler. What he said, I thought, was just perfect.”

Before tonight's Game 2 @raf_tyler will be formally presented with his 6th Man of the Year Award 🏆

Ceremony starts at 7:22p, be there to congratulate Tyler on his accomplishment! pic.twitter.com/ZsG2QKEL9I

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 4, 2022

Ever since Herro entered the NBA, the former 13th overall pick has quickly grown into a significant piece on a championship-contending Heat team. And after wrapping up his third season a few weeks back, the 22-year-old guard was named a finalist for the Sixth-Man of the Year award, an award that Spoelstra was far from surprised to see him win considering the work Herro has put into his craft.

“Tyler is about the right things,” Spoelstra explained. “He has such an incredible work ethic. He’s ambitious. He is one of the young stars in this league. He’s been able to quiet all the noise and just sacrifice and do what we felt was best for the group. It really translated to success and winning. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what Tyler is about. But when you’re driving those kinds of things, where it’s about winning, and it’s about something bigger than yourselves, it also is nice to be rewarded for something individual like that. Just to be acknowledged for how well he’s played this year.”

On Tuesday, Herro and the Heat got their celebration for the young guard in. Now, they are set to get back to work on Wednesday night as they’ll face the Sixers for Game 2 in Miami before the series heads to Philadelphia for the first time. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.