1. Tyler Herro working off the ball
Herro was the star of the Heat’s third straight win. He scored a game-high 36 points, pouring in 13 of his 17 shots. Most of his work came from 2-point range, where he went 9 of 11. He also went to the line and made six free throw attempts. Mostly while being guarded by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dyson Daniels.
He’s learning to use the defending player’s aggression against them. Watch here as Daniels tries to cheat over, anticipating that Herro is going to go over a Kel’el Ware screen. Herro gives a little fake, then darts to the basket for an easy lay-in.
“Tyler was so efficient,” Erik Spoelstra said. “And the best part about it is he did this entire game mostly off the ball. I didn’t run one specific play for him.”
Herro has been open about wanting to replicate Steph Curry’s shot chart, but not all shot charts are created the same. Curry is an off-ball wizard. He’s constantly canvasing the defense for openings, setting screens for teammates and whirring in different directions. Herro isn’t quite there as an off-ball ace, but he’s getting better.
2. Davion Mitchell’s more subtle contributions
Davion Mitchell’s hustle play is getting a lot of shine, but don’t ignore his positional defense. Mitchell is always locked in and paying attention to everything the offense is doing.
Watch here as Zaccharie Risacher is trying to find someone to get the ball to. He briefly looks at Trae Young, and Mitchell stunts into his passing lane. That subtle move throws a monkey wrench in Atlanta’s offense.
Terrence Mann has to throw up a prayer at the end of the shot clock. It goes in, but that’s great defense.
3. Point Slow-Mo
The guy who threw Herro that dime in our first clip? Kyle Anderson. He had three more assists in the game.
Anderson has been a staple of Spoelstra’s rotation during this three-game win streak and is being used in spots as a backup point guard while Terry Rozier remains on the bench. They’ll have him make plays out of the mid-post and even use him as the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll.
It’s never flashy with Slow-Mo, but it is effective.
