Luka Doncic's Two-Way Criticism Should Motivate Miami Heat's Tyler Herro

Anthony Pasciolla | Jun 13, 2024

Apr 1, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles the ball past Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the third quarter at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

The last place Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro expected to find motivation was from the failures of one of the NBA's top superstars.

But that's exactly what's happening.

Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic is finding himself the victim of heavy criticism due to a lack of success as a two-way player. He's not known for strong play on defense, but the NBA Finals are exposing how much of a weakness it is.

Herro's defense is considered his biggest flaw despite improvements in recent years. He's no stranger to offensive inconsistencies, but a jump on the other end could negate shooting woes. A lack of discipline plays a part in the struggles. He's often caught out of position, leaving his teammates to overhelp. Opponents shot more than 44 percent when guarded by Herro last season.

Doncic has a significantly larger frame at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds (compared to the Heat guard's 6-foot-5, 195 pounds), which is why his flaws are often hidden. However, the dynamic skillsets of Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are bringing the problem to light. Herro faced similar issues against Tatum and Brown in their first round gentleman's sweep.

Sports personality Colin Cowherd is among those pointing to Doncic's defensive woes as a reason the Mavs are trailing the Celtics 3-0.

"Your legacy is largely framed by Finals and Western Conference Finals. This is going to stick to him. He was atrocious defensively in these Finals," Cowherd said. "My comp to him is he's a better Carmelo Anthony. I don't think he's in great shape, I don't think he's easy to play with [and] I don't think he's committed on the defensive end."

Whether Herro decides to focus on defense or his shooting inconsistencies will become apparent at the start of next season, but regardless, his name will likely remain in trade rumors.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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