The opening of the Orlando Bubble has produced the arrival of new breakout stars around the league.
Rookie Tyler Herro has served as a key piece off the bench in the Miami Heat’s 10-1 run through the NBA postseason. With a 3-pointer in the second quarter against the Boston Celtics, the Kentucky product matched a member of the Golden State Warriors in one postseason mark.
Herro’s triple against the Celtics was his 25th made 3-pointer in the 2020 postseason — equaling Klay Thompson’s clip from his first appearance in the playoffs in 2013.
Although Thompson had to wait till his sophomore season the NBA to make the playoffs, he shot 42.4% (25-of-59) from beyond the arc on 4.9 attempts in 12 games. Golden State advanced past the Denver Nuggets in six games during the opening round of the 2013 postseason before being eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs.
In his first taste of playoff basketball at 22-years-old, Thompson averaged 15.2 points on 43.7% shooting from the field with 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal in 41.3 minutes per contest.
H/T via @IraHeatBeat on Twitter:
Tyler Herro now has as many playoff 3-pointers as a rookie as Klay Thompson had as a rookie (25).
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 17, 2020
In comparison, the young Miami sharpshooter is averaging 14.1 points on 41.3% shooting from the field with 5.8 rebounds and four assists in 33.0 minutes per game. On 6.2 attempts per contest, Herro is shooting 36.8% (25-of-68) from long distance.
Prior to the beginning of the NBA’s restart in the Orlando Bubble, the 20-year-old shooter mentioned Thompson when talking about the game film he was studying while the season was on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Miami Heat rookie Tyler Herro studying Klay Thompson during quarantine https://t.co/6Qs1rQqoH2
— Warriors Wire (@TheWarriorsWire) July 7, 2020
Herro will have the chance to eclipse Thompson’s first postseason triple numbers in Miami’s Eastern Conference Finals game three tilt against the Boston Celtics. However, Herro will have some work to do before he catches the other Splash Brother.
In Steph Curry’s arrival to the postseason in 2013, the two-time Most Valuable Player splashed 42 3-pointers on 39.6% shooting from long range. The 24-year-old point guard tallied 23.4 points on 43.3% from the field with 8.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 12 games.
