Miami Heat: Why Tyler Herro should not lead the bench unit

There is an expectation that Miami Heat guard, Tyler Herro, will be the offensive workhorse for the second unit next season. Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports stated on August 19th that Herro would be the anchor of the bench to start the season.

However, the Heat’s decision to make Tyler Herro the anchor of the second unit is risky because they have used sixth men in the years prior. Over the past three seasons, sixth men on the Heat roster have been used mainly as pick and roll ball handlers.

Let’s take a look at why Tyler Herro does not have the experience or the required skill to lead the Miami Heat bench unit.

For example, pick and rolls accounted for 34.8 percent of Dwayne Wade’s possessions during the 2018-19 season averaging 6 per game. The team continued to use the sixth man as a pick and roll ball handler during the next two seasons, as 37 percent of Goran Dragić’s possessions were pick and rolls during the past two seasons, averaging 5.8 per game.

Unfortunately, Herro is a relatively inexperienced pick-and-roll ball handler. Herro only averaged 0.7 pick and rolls per game during his 37 games at the University of Kentucky. He saw a 500 percent increase in his pick and rolls during his first season as a professional, as Herro averaged 4.2 per game.

Sadly, Herro struggled in pick and roll situations during his rookie season, only shooting 34.4 percent on 3.4 shots per game. Herro saw a slight increase in the workload during his second season averaging 4.7 possessions. He improved his efficiency as he shot 44.2 percent from the field on 3.9 shots per game.

Although Herro has improved as a pick and roll ball handler, it is unfair to expect him to carry a heavier pick and roll load due to his inexperience in the role. Therefore, the team should keep a starter who has more experience as a pick and roll ball-handler on the floor to protect the Heat if Tyler Herro regresses in the pick and roll.

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For example, Kyle Lowry has averaged 3.8 pick and rolls per game since 2015. He has been more consistent, shooting 43.7 percent from the field on 2.9 shots per game, averaging 5.3 points. The presence of Lowry will allow the Heat to have another pick and roll ball-handler on the bench unit, just in case Herro doesn’t live up to expectations.

If Herro thrives as a pick and roll ball handler during the beginning of the season, the team could quickly move Kyle Lowry off the ball as he has succeeded as a floor spacer. Lowry has made 37.8 percent of his threes on 7.0 attempts.

A significant amount of his threes have come as catch and shoots, averaging 3.5 per game. Lowry has been an above-average shooter on these types of threes, converting 39.7 percent of his attempts.

On the other hand, if Tyler Herro struggles as a pick and roll ball handler, the Heat could give those possessions to Lowry, who has a long track record in the role. Giving Lowry those possessions will move Tyler Herro off the ball, where he has more experience.

Tyler Herro made 35.5 percent of his threes in college on 4.6 attempts. He has improved from behind the arc as a professional, converting 37.5 percent of his attempts on 5.5 shots. Herro has flourished in one particular type of three catch and shoots. He is shooting 41.3 percent on 2.9 shots.

In conclusion, the Miami Heat shouldn’t be solely counting on Tyler Herro to carry the second unit because of his inexperience as a pick and roll ball handler.