Kentucky Basketball: Breakdown of Tyler Herro in the Summer League

Could former Kentucky Basketball guard Tyler Herro turn a strong Summer League showing into a possible Rookie of the Year Award?

When we heard the words “With the 13th pick in the NBA draft, the Miami Heat select….. Tyler Herro from the University of Kentucky” came out of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s mouth it left a lot of college basketball fans, draft analysts, and even Miami Heat fans scratching their heads.

Herro turned that negative energy and used it to drive him to prove the naysayers wrong in summer league play, and boy, did he ever.

Herro was the SEC new comer of the year last season, he appeared (and started) in 37 games for the Wildcats and put up 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game with a 42.6 FG%, 35.5 3PT%, and a 93.5 FT% shooting line.

He showcased his smooth handle, passing ability and deadly three-point stroke in Summer league action.

The first glimpse we saw of Herro was on a 106-79 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1st. Herro hit 5/10 threes in route to a 18 point, 3 rebound, 4 assist, 1 steal performance.

Then on July 3rd, in a 73-65 win against Golden State, Herro struggled from beyond the arc (2-11) but showed he was more of a scorer than a shooter as he still managed to score 20 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Miami then proceeded to thump China’s international team on the 5th 103-62. Herro filled the box score once again with another impressive performance of 23 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assist and 3 steals.

On July 7th Tyler Herro struggled with his shot again, (38.9% from the floor and just 1 of 8 from 3 point land) but still put his team in the best position to win as he did a little bit of everything. Herro scored 16 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished 5 assists. He again grabbed a steal as well in the 93-81 win.

The two Florida teams clashed on July 9th as the Heat and their win streak faced off against the Orlando Magic. The Heat extended their winning streak, winning 96-92. Tyler Herro put on a show, as he scored 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and yet another steal. Herro showed us his versatility scoring the ball yet again, as he shot 10 free throw attempts, hitting 9.

The Heat FINALLY lost on July 10th, as the Timberwolves narrowly defeated them by the score of 90-87. Tyler Herro had 15 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.

Despite the loss, the 10th was a good day for the walking bucket, as Miami signed Herro to his rookie contract. Miami and Oklahoma City were engaged in talks to bring the former MVP Russell Westbrook to Miami, if Herro remained unsigned, the team could’ve traded him without any wait, but Miami essentially walked away on the Westbrook deal, as the team notified the Thunder that they wouldn’t include either of Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo in the trade.

This speaks volumes as far as Miami’s faith in Herro goes. Why give away your future assets when you can keep them and have TWO max slots in the summer of 21′ with the newly signed Jimmy Butler anyways?

So what exactly should we expect from Herro next season?

Herro will come off the bench and provide a scoring option off the bench. He’s a deadly shooter, but is more than a shooter. He’s a deadly SCORER. He has proven to us that when he can’t hit threes in a game during summer league play, he can still score the ball other ways like getting to the free throw line.

Ball handling wise he’s shown patience in the pick and roll game making the right reads. He can shoot right over you if you get stuck behind the screen, or he can head towards the rack and either score or get to the free throw line. He’s also fully capable of dragging on the defense and throwing a nice lob to the big man to flush home. In transition he can push the pace and hit open teammates down the court, and can take matters into his own hands and pull up for a transition three, pull up jumper, or a nice scoop layup.

Herro is a guard that can score from all three levels, and is fully capable handling the ball to create not only his own shot, but a shot for others, and he is good enough of a passer to get his teammates the ball when and where they need it.

What excites me more than his offensive prowess is his defensive ability, and his knack for stealing the ball. Rookies normally struggle to find consistent minutes off the bench due to defensive inconsistencies or troubles, but that shouldn’t be the case with Herro. He’s defended well getting a steal in every game he’s played, keeping him on the court more than keeping him off. Another underrated thing I feel as if I should mention is his above average rebounding ability for a guard his size, which will also allow him to stay on the court more times that not, and potentially, if he keeps improving and playing well, the starting lineup could be calling his name.

Tyler Herro will come off the bench early on this season for this Miami heat team providing a very capable scoring option off the bench, and could even provide valuable minutes running the point guard spot when needed. He could also force his way into the starting lineup.

Tyler Herro is my dark horse to win the ROY award if he can build on his potential Summer League MVP offseason. You can catch him when Miami plays in the summer league tournament July 13th at 6:30 PM ET