Tyler Herro is truly breaking out for the Miami Heat in the NBA bubble

Tyler Herro’s ascension during the NBA bubble has been exceptional as the Miami Heat start to prepare for the postseason.

While it’s still actually his rookie season, Tyler Herro has not performed like one upon returning to action for the Miami Heat.

Having missed the final month of the season prior to the shutdown due to an ankle injury, Herro was naturally a little rusty in the warmup section of the bubble. But once the regular season came around again, Herro simply hit the ground the running.

Playing in all seven games in the bubble so far, Herro has led the Heat in scoring at 17.4 points per game, shooting at an elite 53.0 percent from the field while nailing all 20 of his attempts from the free throw line.

A couple of factors have stood out in explaining the explosion in Herro’s output. Firstly, the Heat have been without Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic for a pair of games due to injury, while Kendrick Nunn has missed three games, primarily due to leaving the bubble for personal reasons. Secondly, it’s the clear progression in Herro’s overall makeup that has resulted in such a rise in production.

As a point of reference, here’s how Herro performed in a number of statistical areas prior to the bubble, and over the past seven games:

Field Goal Percentage

• Pre-bubble (47 games): 41.4 percent
• In bubble: 53.0 percent

Shots in Restricted Area

• Pre-bubble: 48.8 percent
• In bubble: 90.0 percent

Shots with seven-plus dribbles

• Pre-bubble: 34.2 percent
• In bubble: 58.3 percent

Drives per game

• Pre-bubble: 5.0
• In bubble: 8.7

Breaking it down even further, Herro’s past four games have been a sight to behold. In 33.2 minutes per game, the 20-year-old averaged 23.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting at a sizzling 58.2 percent clip from the field. This was highlighted by his career-high 30-point explosion in a one-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the starting unit playing limited minutes in anticipation of the postseason run to come, Herro continued with his red-hot form, nailing three triples while converting on each of his nine trips to the free throw line.

Following his latest standout performance, head coach Erik Spoelstra made note of the work Herro has put in to get him to this point at such an early stage of his career:

"“Spending countless, endless hours putting the ball on the floor, and different finishes with both hands. What Tyler had already was a feel for getting the ball in the basket, and a unique creativity against bigger defenders at the rim.”"

For his part, Herro commented on the help and guidance he’s received from some of the veterans on the team:

"“My teammates and coaches continue to put more trust in me….I’m just grateful to have guys like Jimmy and Goran, and in particular some of the guys who we traded for.”"

With their first-round playoff matchup with the Indiana Pacers already set, the Miami Heat are in a terrific position to prepare with a healthy roster at their disposal. And while he is still technically just a rookie, Tyler Herro is bound to make serious noise in his debut playoff run.