Miami Heat's Tyler Herro Putting Himself In Position For First-Time Honor?

Bryan Townes | Nov 11, 2024

Nov 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) drives to the basket and dunks the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The offseason hype largely revolved around Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler as the two most important factors for the Miami Heat's regular season success.

Neither has been better or as consistent as Tyler Herro through nine games.

In a Heat victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Herro led the team with 26 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 60 percent shooting and 50 percent from three-point range.

Herro has led the Heat in scoring in previous seasons, but this is the first time he looks much more comfortable getting to his spots on the court. He is averaging a career-high in points, assists, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. Besides the increase in efficiency percentages, Herro has taken a new analytical approach to his game. It has led to more free throw and three-point attempts, which the Heat desperately has needed at many points this year. Being the best shooter most nights while getting easier baskets in the paint has allowed him to take over the Heat’s scoring for most quarters. 

Beyond his improvement and playing well enough to be the clear best player from the Heat, Herro must continue leading his team to wins. Recipients often get voted into the events if their teams are among the top in the conference. The Heat sit at (4-5) and No. 6 in the Eastern Conference. Despite going on a three-game losing streak before their win against the Timberwolves, they are one victory behind the No. 3 seed. If the team can capitalize on their easier matchups in the rest of November and most of December, they can give themselves some breathing room for a challenging January slate.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook.