The Miami Heat is still working through different offensive solutions after a rough start to the season on that end of the court. But it has become abundantly clear who the Heat’s go-to option is when it needs a game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds. That would be 22-year-old guard Tyler Herro. The Heat has attempted 17 field goals on 18 offensive possessions this season when trailing by three points or less, or the score tied with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. Herro has taken eight of those shots, making both of his two-point attempts and three of his six three-point attempts in that situation. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Max Strus are all tied for the second-most shot attempts in that situation this season with two. “With a name like Herro, you got to be a hero,” Heat guard Victor Oladipo said. “But it’s impressive, man. His ability to want to be in those moments and have the confidence to take those shots and make those shots is impressive.”
The decision to turn to Herro in those moments has paid off in the form of three-game winners this season. Herro hit a pull-up three to break a tie with 2.5 seconds left, lifting the Heat to a 110-107 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 2. Then there was Herro’s pull-up jumper from just outside the paint to break a tie 5.7 seconds to play, clinching the Heat’s 110-108 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 14. Herro added another game-winner to his resume on Saturday night, capping off another spectacular 29-point performance that also included nine rebounds and six assists by sprinting fullcourt on his way to hitting a wild one-legged pull-up three over two defenders to break another tie with 0.1 seconds to play. The shot sent the Heat into 2023 with a much-needed 126-123 win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City to improve to 1-1 on its five-game West Coast trip. “Just trying to create and get a shot off, trying to create a shot whether it was for myself or for a teammate,” Herro said of his mindset on Saturday’s game-winning possession, with the Heat (19-18) now in Los Angeles for a two-game set that begins Monday against the Clippers (10:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “We didn’t want to go to OT, so just glad the shot went in”
Herro has also been on the other side of some of these opportunities this season, like when Herro settled for a three-pointer that did not go in as the final buzzer sounded in a two-point road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 4 and when Herro again went for the win but missed a three-pointer with 9.2 seconds to play in an ugly four-point home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 10. But the Heat has continued to turn to him in those late-game situations because of his creativity with the ball in his hands and his shot-making ability. It also helps that Herro has developed into one of the NBA’s top shooters off the catch and off the dribble. He was among the most efficient catch-and-shoot three-point shooters last season and holds the fourth-best three-point percentage on pull-ups (42.4 percent) this season among those taking at least three such shots per game behind only Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Denver’s Bones Hyland. Herro is shooting 39 percent on 8.5 three-point attempts per game this season, which ranks fifth-most efficient among those around the NBA who are attempting at least eight threes per game. Only Curry, Indiana’s Buddy Hield, Mitchell and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic have been better.
“I mean, he always is going to give us a chance to win,” Oladipo said of Herro. “He has supreme confidence in his game. We have confidence in his game, as well. In those moments, we put the ball in his hand because we’re confident he’s going to make the right decision. He just has to keep growing. He’s still young. I remember being that age, too. The whole world is like in front of you. But one thing about him is he works, so the sky is the limit because of that.” While Herro is usually the one taking the late-game shot, he also has the ability to make plays for others if needed. He’s averaging a career-high 4.6 assists this season and has totaled 28 assists in the last four games. With the NBA introducing a Clutch Player of the Year award this season named after Jerry West, Herro has made himself a candidate not only with his three game-winners but with his willingness to take the shot in those pressure-packed moments. And there have been a lot of them in a season that the Heat has played in a league-high 25 clutch games (a game that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter). “You want the ball in his hands because you know that he wants those moments,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “As he’s increasing his playmaking ability, he’ll make the right play.”
GOOD NEWS FOR BUTLER Heat star Jimmy Butler did not play in Saturday’s win over the Jazz because he was already in Los Angeles to have his right knee checked. Butler was evaluated by a doctor on Saturday and received final clearance to again take part in back-to-backs, according to a league source. The Heat did not play Butler in both games of any December back-to-back after right knee soreness forced him to miss seven straight games in November. That pattern should change moving forward. The good news for Butler is there isn’t a back-to-back on the Heat’s schedule for more than a month. Miami’s next back-to-back set is on Feb. 10-11. Butler is expected to be available for Monday’s matchup against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena, with the Heat’s full injury report set to be released Sunday evening.
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The Miami Heat is still working through different offensive solutions after a rough start to the season on that end of the court. But it has become abundantly clear who the Heat’s go-to option is when it needs a game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds. That would be 22-year-old guard Tyler Herro. The Heat has attempted 17 field goals on 18 offensive possessions this season when trailing by three points or less, or the score tied with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. Herro has taken eight of those shots, making both of his two-point attempts and three of his six three-point attempts in that situation. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Max Strus are all tied for the second-most shot attempts in that situation this season with two. “With a name like Herro, you got to be a hero,” Heat guard Victor Oladipo said. “But it’s impressive, man. His ability to want to be in those moments and have the confidence to take those shots and make those shots is impressive.”
The decision to turn to Herro in those moments has paid off in the form of three-game winners this season. Herro hit a pull-up three to break a tie with 2.5 seconds left, lifting the Heat to a 110-107 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 2. Then there was Herro’s pull-up jumper from just outside the paint to break a tie 5.7 seconds to play, clinching the Heat’s 110-108 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 14. Herro added another game-winner to his resume on Saturday night, capping off another spectacular 29-point performance that also included nine rebounds and six assists by sprinting fullcourt on his way to hitting a wild one-legged pull-up three over two defenders to break another tie with 0.1 seconds to play. The shot sent the Heat into 2023 with a much-needed 126-123 win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City to improve to 1-1 on its five-game West Coast trip. “Just trying to create and get a shot off, trying to create a shot whether it was for myself or for a teammate,” Herro said of his mindset on Saturday’s game-winning possession, with the Heat (19-18) now in Los Angeles for a two-game set that begins Monday against the Clippers (10:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “We didn’t want to go to OT, so just glad the shot went in”
Herro has also been on the other side of some of these opportunities this season, like when Herro settled for a three-pointer that did not go in as the final buzzer sounded in a two-point road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 4 and when Herro again went for the win but missed a three-pointer with 9.2 seconds to play in an ugly four-point home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 10. But the Heat has continued to turn to him in those late-game situations because of his creativity with the ball in his hands and his shot-making ability. It also helps that Herro has developed into one of the NBA’s top shooters off the catch and off the dribble. He was among the most efficient catch-and-shoot three-point shooters last season and holds the fourth-best three-point percentage on pull-ups (42.4 percent) this season among those taking at least three such shots per game behind only Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Denver’s Bones Hyland. Herro is shooting 39 percent on 8.5 three-point attempts per game this season, which ranks fifth-most efficient among those around the NBA who are attempting at least eight threes per game. Only Curry, Indiana’s Buddy Hield, Mitchell and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic have been better.
“I mean, he always is going to give us a chance to win,” Oladipo said of Herro. “He has supreme confidence in his game. We have confidence in his game, as well. In those moments, we put the ball in his hand because we’re confident he’s going to make the right decision. He just has to keep growing. He’s still young. I remember being that age, too. The whole world is like in front of you. But one thing about him is he works, so the sky is the limit because of that.” While Herro is usually the one taking the late-game shot, he also has the ability to make plays for others if needed. He’s averaging a career-high 4.6 assists this season and has totaled 28 assists in the last four games. With the NBA introducing a Clutch Player of the Year award this season named after Jerry West, Herro has made himself a candidate not only with his three game-winners but with his willingness to take the shot in those pressure-packed moments. And there have been a lot of them in a season that the Heat has played in a league-high 25 clutch games (a game that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter). “You want the ball in his hands because you know that he wants those moments,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “As he’s increasing his playmaking ability, he’ll make the right play.”
GOOD NEWS FOR BUTLER Heat star Jimmy Butler did not play in Saturday’s win over the Jazz because he was already in Los Angeles to have his right knee checked. Butler was evaluated by a doctor on Saturday and received final clearance to again take part in back-to-backs, according to a league source. The Heat did not play Butler in both games of any December back-to-back after right knee soreness forced him to miss seven straight games in November. That pattern should change moving forward. The good news for Butler is there isn’t a back-to-back on the Heat’s schedule for more than a month. Miami’s next back-to-back set is on Feb. 10-11. Butler is expected to be available for Monday’s matchup against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena, with the Heat’s full injury report set to be released Sunday evening.