Tyler Herro is expected to be a late first-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Playing for the Kentucky Wildcats, Herro was the second leading scorer behind P.J. Washington, averaging 14 points per contest. So let’s take a look at his profile, and project where he lands
NBA Draft Player Profile for Tyler Herro
Tyler Herro’s Time at Kentucky
Herro came to Kentucky as the 35th ranked prospect out of Whitnall Highschool in Wisconsin. He started every game in college as a freshman, an impressive feat, especially at Kentucky where guards are always prominent. Herro also led the team in minutes played at 32 a game. He earned NCAA All-Region, 2018-2019 All-SEC, and SEC All-Freshman at the conclusion of the season. Herro was not a known name in the national media, however, until the NCAA tournament came around. Because Kentucky was on a national stage for every game they played, Herro was starting to get noticed much more.
Tyler Herro only averaged about 12 PPG in the tournament, but he was consistently hitting big shots after big shots in close games. Throughout the whole tournament, he only missed one free throw and he was always fouled with the game on the line. During the season, Herro shot 93.5 percent from the free throw line, and 36 percent from three, solidifying his place as a top shooter in the country. His advanced stats also play well. He is in the top 20 for every single advanced metric that you can think of, from effective field goal percentage to win shares per 40 minutes.
Tyler Herro’s Strengths
Tyler Herro does not have a defined position, as he played both shooting guard and point guard during the season. However, in the NBA he would most likely be a shooting guard due to his great shooting ability. According to Yahoo Sports, the Boston Celtics were “blown away” by Herro as he hit 80 out of 100 threes in a recent workout. His shooting is easily his biggest strength, but his defense isn’t actually too bad either. He graded out with a 98.1 defensive rating, good for 12th in the country.
Shooting is easily his best strength, and with some refinement, Herro could become a plus defender as well.
Tyler Herro’s Weaknesses
Tyler Herro may have been able to stand out against college competition, but the NBA is a different beast. While he does have decent length at 6 feet 5 inches, Herro lacks the strength of a typical NBA player as he only weighs 195 pounds. On-ball defense won’t be a problem with experience, but Herro has to gain weight and put on muscle to fit in with his NBA counterparts. Because he is only 19, he has a lot of time to gain weight and muscle, however.
Another small, but noticeable weakness that Herro has difficulty creating offense with the ball in his hands. Herro frequently made mistakes trying to make entry passes into the post. He sometimes had tunnel vision from driving and not knowing when to pass out of a drive.
Team Fit and Player Comparison
Herro, while not sporting a great percentage, is a great shooter. So, naturally, a team that needs shooting would likely take him. As mentioned earlier, the Boston Celtics loved Herro, and as a team out of the lottery, they have a great chance to land him. Boston struggled mightily with shooting versus the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, and Herro could help that.
The team selecting ahead of Boston, the Oklahoma City Thunder, could also use Herro. In the first round, they got obliterated by Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Tyler Herro could very well be a player who could slow them down, while also providing great shooting, something they lacked off the bench this year.
As far as a player comparison, Herro is similar to Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green. Green came into the NBA as a skinny guard with the potential to be a great shooter and had defensive chops. With Herro’s smooth stroke and his defensive ability, he could turn out to be a very valuable rotation player for a playoff team.
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