Miami Heat's Tyler Herro Continues To Make Strides As A Playmaker
Herro set a career-high with 14 assists on Wednesday night
Tyler Herro’s passing played a big role in the Miami Heat’s 111-101 win Wednesday night over the Boston Celtics.
The Heat responded in a big way after dropping Game 1 of the series. Herro had just 11 points and four assists in Sunday’s 114-94 loss.
H rebounded with 24 points and a career-high 14 assists in Game 2.
"It's really to have that kind of understanding that you have to be open to all the things that present in a playoff game," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after Wednesday’s game. "We need his aggressiveness. We need his scoring. We need his shooting. We need his playmaking."
Spoelstra even praised Herro's passing in the locker room after the game.
Herro has already gained plenty of playoff experience during his five-year NBA career. He has averaged 14.1 points and 3.4 assists in 43 postseason games. Herro never had more than nine assists in a playoff game before Wednesday. That effort came in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics.
"Just trying to make the right play," Herro said about his performance. "Read the context of the game. The game is easy. We make it hard a lot of times. When they're playing a certain way, we just have to counter adjust."
Herro’s playmaking helps fill a void that the Heat attempted to fill all year long. Kyle Lowry started as the team’s starting point guard, but he failed to provide valuable minutes at the position. Terry Rozier was acquired at midseason, but he has battled injuries during his tenure with the Heat. Jimmy Butler led the team with five assists per game, but he too remains out due to injury.
Herro and the Heat take on the Celtics for Game 3 on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.
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