The Herro is back! Majorly absent from the last playoff campaign, but also from this first part of the season, Tyler Herro is back on the field, and it's as if he never left it. The former best sixth man of the season does not need a warm-up period and injuries to teammates immediately throw him into the deep end.
Like last night against the Magic since Jimmy Butler was missing. Result, Herro finds himself as the first option in attack, for finishing as well as creation, and it works: 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. And he warns that we haven't seen anything yet… “The more I play, the more comfortable I feel…I'm not in mid-season form yet. I would say there is still a higher level to reach” he assures after his 10 out of 17 on shots, with a 4 out of 5 at 3-points.
“There was magic in it”
On the floor of Orlando, which inaugurated its Kia Center, the Heat made the break in the 2nd quarter, with 32 points scored in less than… seven minutes at 12 out of 12 on shots! A hot shot punctuated by a basket at the buzzer from… Herro.
“When we move the ball around, we are really difficult to defend” continues Herro, about this perfect end to the half. “I didn't know that we had made 12 out of 12 on shots… I thought we were at 4, 5 or 6… it was pleasant. We had a lot of fun in this 2nd quarter. The guys were running, the guys were sharing the ball… And at the end, we made our shots. But I found the ball bounced from player to player, and there was magic in that. When we are free in attack, that's when we are at our best level. »
And to think that this is only his 2nd match since his return, and that he has only played 10 matches this season. Like last season, the Heat are holding back, waiting to be at full strength, and while Butler treats his ankle, it's Herro who takes over. And not just in attack.
“He does a lot of decisive things in a victory” believes Erik Spoelstra. “He got rebounds, his coverage on defense… He was really good. And then on offense, he is effective as soon as he has the ball in hand, whether on pick-and-roll or catch-and-shoot. »
