MIAMI – In yet another aspect of the evolution of his game, Tyler Herro has been throwing hands this season.
No, no fisticuffs involved, but rather aggressive with his rip-through moves to the degree of now successfully drawing fouls when opponents dare reach in while he is playing in attack mode.
No, not to the degree of, say, a James Harden, but flailing his arm enough for a healthy whistle.
And, coach Erik Spoelstra said, a deserved whistle.
“Tyler is just continuing to get better, learning how to make people pay for over-aggressiveness, like all the really good players know how to do that,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat hosting the Indiana Pacers on Friday night in the second game of a four-game homestand at Kaseya Center that continues Sunday night against the New York Knicks “He’s gone to study on that and he’s just getting a lot better at it.
“He’s getting the respect now from the officials, well deserved. If you’re going to play him that aggressively, you should be able to (get to the line), in these kinds of rules, the way they’re set up, and that’s helped us quite a bit.”
Over the five games going into Friday night, Herro had three games of at least seven attempts from the line. By contrast, he had attempted seven or more foul shots just once over the prior 12 games.
The trips to the line not only help control pace against higher-scoring opponents, but also allow Spoelstra to better set his defense, including a recent uptick in utilization of zone and presses.
“Honestly,” Herro said, “this year I feel like the game has really slowed down and I feel like some games you’ll see me shoot 8, 10, 12 free throws. And then other games you’re seeing me shoot two or four free throws.
“So it’s really just trying to find consistency in doing it and right now it feels like the game’s slow and I’m able to see things.”
Herro said the trips to the line also are a way to avoid those nights when the shot attempts from the field are up but the conversions are down, as has been an issue in some recent games.
“I shoot almost 20 shots a game,” he said. “So being able to limit that and just find different ways to score, and get to the line is one of them. Guys are being really aggressive.”
The NBA in recent years has cracked down on players trying to create whistles with rip-through moves, ruling it a no-call if it is not deemed a genuine scoring attempt. In addition, free throws are not awarded if it is deemed that the foul comes before a shooting motion.
Which is all well and good, but players also know it remains a difficult determination at speed, with the reward of potential free throws worth the exaggeration or embellishment.
For his part, Spoelstra said the Heat do not hunt for fouls. In fact, the goal is for Herro not to have to deal with a swatch of arms between himself and the basket.
That, Spoelstra said, has been helped by getting greater stability with the rotation, including Andrew Wiggins filling a void that had been the abject disinterest of Jimmy Butler.
“There was a period of time, before this trade,” Spoelstra said, “Tyler was getting harassed all over the court. There’s a little bit more balance now. He’s getting some more open looks. And that’s because of the balance of the offensive talent we have out there.”
But, nonetheless, still ready to rip through and throw hands when and if necessary.
“A lot of guys are coming on double-teams,” Herro said, “and once I attack just trying to find hands and use their aggressiveness against them.”
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