2023 NBA Finals Preview: Ranking players from SEC
4. Tyler Herro
Herro, who broke his right hand in the first game of the opening round series against the Bucks, might just end up being the X-factor in this series.
He is set to make his return by Game 3 when the series shifts to the Heat’s home floor in Miami.
On the season, Herro averaged 20.1 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists on 37.8% shooting from behind the arc. Not to mention leading the league in free throw shooting (93.4%).
In his rookie season, he shattered a plethora of long standing playoff records regarding his young age.
During the 2020 NBA Finals, Herro became the youngest player to start a game, he made the most threes by a rookie in NBA playoff history, and set a record for consecutive playoff games in double digits for a rookie.
In 2021, he won 6th Man of the Year and signed a 4-year, $130 million contract extension last summer.
Despite all of this, many fans have argued that because of the success the Heat have had during this postseason run, they might be better off without him.
And it’s not too far fetched. Since the 2020 playoffs, Herro’s postseason stardom has dwindled mightily.
In 2021, he struggled averaging just 9.3 points per game on 31.8% shooting from the floor. They would be eliminated in a first round sweep by the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2022, the Heat made another deep playoff run but this time no thanks to Herro. His playoff scoring (12.6 points per game) was 8.1 points per game lower than in the regular season. And his shooting splits took a nose dive as well.
He shot 3 percentage points lower from the field, and converted only 22.9% of his threes which was 17% lower than his regular season average.
But with his recent postseason woes, the Heat could use the extra scoring. And if he can be closer to the 2020 playoff Herro, rather than the last couple years, then that could be a major boost for Miami.
Only time will tell.
College Days
As a four-star recruit, and Wisconsin native, Herro was initially committed to play for the Wisconsin Badgers. But he decommitted at the start of his junior year to eventually play for coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.
This move was notable in the state and caused Herro to gain national attention due to the hate and backlash he received from basketball fans in Wisconsin.
But things turned out well for Herro as he averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, and was the only player to start in all 37 games for Kentucky.
He received SEC Rookie of the Year as well, as well as All-SEC Second team honors.