Q: Really tired of everyone picking on Herro’s defense. I’m sure he could be at least an adequate defender if his usage on offense wasn’t something like 90%, if he wasn’t carrying a freakin’ truck on his back with offensive responsibility. And who’s calling out the Cavs’ inadequate defenders for allowing Herro to score 33 when he’s pretty much the only player they have to be concerned about? – Ray, Deerfield Beach.
A: First (actually to your second point), no one calls out the defense of a team that twice has won by double digits. In the Cavaliers’ case, keep on keeping on. As for Tyler Herro’s usage rate on offense, it’s been a more reasonable 29.2 this postseason, placing him behind – but in the range of – players such as Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant. But it is nothing in these playoffs like the 40.0 of Jeff Green, the 35.8 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 35.2 of Paolo Banchero or the 34.2 of Jalen Brunson. Erik Spoelstra has gone out of his way, including the starting of Davion Mitchell, to ease the offensive workload on Tyler. That said, sometimes it is what it is. Players have flaws. For Tyler, one is defense, but not for lack of effort.
Q: When Duncan Robinson enters the game and passes up open 3-point shots, things immediately start to go south. At this stage of his career, why does Robinson still consistently turn down open 3s? Does he not understand why he is on the team? – Andrew, Coral Gables.
A: Agree. While there are times that Duncan Robinson needs to be more of a complete player, in this series the Heat need his 3-pointers and 3-point attempts to help on the scoreboard and with spacing. You can’t have Bam Adebayo averaging five 3-point attempts per game in this series and Duncan three, even with the differences in minutes. With Alec Burks shuffled out of the rotation in Game 2, if Duncan does not come around, it could wind up being Alec instead of Duncan going forward.
Q: How much of a difference do you think the Heat homecourt advantage will be? – Sal.
A: If the Heat are counting on that to turn the series around, they could be in trouble, particularly with the 1 p m. start on Saturday. It has been a while since the Heat have been dominant at home. But of course, it also has been a while since the Heat have been dominant. Strategy and performance clearly will be a much more significant factors.
#Miami #Heats #Tyler #Herro #expectations #realistic
