Herro’s secret to success as shooter: Watching YouTube?
MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra has offered a surprising amount of plaudits for his 19-year-old prodigy.
But considering his own roots, the fact that the Heat coach considers Tyler Herro a “de facto video coordinator” perhaps is the ultimate compliment.
As he works to help create even more nights like Sunday for the No. 13 pick out of Kentucky, when Herro scored 16 of the Heat’s final 18 points in the overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls, Spoelstra finds himself with a kinship with the 3-pointer prodigy.
“The game and the league has changed so much, and a big credit to that is Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, all these great shooters, James Harden,” Spoelstra said. “Young players now can watch endless amounts of video clips of their favorite players on YouTube or on their phone. And they’re essentially de facto video coordinators.”
Spoelstra, who began his Heat tenure more than two decades ago as video coordinator, said he appreciates the preparation.
“They really can watch as much video as our staff can,” he said. “It’s all at their fingertips, whether they want to, or not, whether they put in the time. But I know Tyler does that. He’s been coached well. He’s been driven. He’s worked on his game quite a bit.”
While Sunday’s splashdowns were mostly of the routine variety, simply moving to open spaces and waiting for passes from Jimmy Butler, Herro appreciates his next NBA steps will only come with a wider menu of shooting options.
“I just like watching the game and I like learning from players that are older and better than me right now,” he said, as the Heat turn their attention to Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks at AmericanAirlines Arena. “I feel like watching the best players, watching their moves, and if how they get open is something I can do.
“One thing I’m real good at is just picking up on things quick and being able to learn right away.”
Spoelstra said nights such as Sunday, when Herro led the Heat with 27 points, will lead to increased scrutiny. That, he said, means being able to offer alternatives.
“Because of the respect level that our shooters have earned, guys are getting them off their shots,” he said. “And we still want them to develop ways to shoot threes. And a lot of times it’s that slide step.”
And, sometimes, the step back, which has Herro studying Harden.
“I mean, I could definitely do that,” Herro said. “I don’t know if they’ll also call the travel on me, being a rookie. But definitely it’s crazy just how much separation he creates off the step back.
“Just any little advantage you can get to create space, whatever that may be. And a lot of the times the step-back does work.”
To Spoelstra, it has to be about more than shooting. Sunday, Herro’s mix included six rebounds a game after he grabbed seven in Friday night’s victory over the Washington Wizards.
That, Spoelstra said, is another element of Herro’s higher learning, learning that he said otherwise can get lost on today’s youth.
“It starts at a youth level, you just develop this really poor habit of spectating, and not competing and playing the game in other areas when the ball’s not in your hands,” Spoelstra said. “That is something, if we could change that in youth sports, just developing those kinds of skills, that would really, really help. But Tyler gets it.”