No NBA player ever grows up dreaming of being the 6th man for their team, but a few players over the years have made it an extremely important role in the league. A scoring option that can keep your bench unit productive when the stars are out is vastly important but some modern 6th men have even become closers for their teams. And no one is playing better off the bench in that role this season than Tyler Herro.
Herro had an excellent playoff run in his rookie season with the Miami Heat but the expectations possibly got too much for him, leading to a slightly disappointing sophomore season. Coming into the 2021-22 season in the 6th man role though, Herro has once again flourished, and is averaging 21 points per game. This is throughout 57 games, with 47 of those seeing him come off the bench.
Tyler Herro (21.0) is averaging more points than Jamal Crawford, Manu Ginobili or Jason Terry ever did in any season of their careers.
Truly one of the best 6th man seasons we’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/O53WezykDw
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 16, 2022
Herro is averaging more points this season than even legendary 6th men like Jamal Crawford, Manu Ginobili, and Jason Terry even managed. In fact, since 1990, only one winner of the 6th Man Of The Year award has managed to score more than that. Lou Williams’ 22.6 ppg with the Clippers is the only tally surpassing Herro’s this season.
This is excellent progress for Herro, who has now earned comparisons to the best young stars of his generation like Luka Doncic and Trae Young from legends like Udonis Haslem, something he was scoffed at for suggesting before. If he can continue to improve at this rate, this might be the only season he has to contend with being the 6th man.
The Miami Heat are looking dangerous again this season, and Herro’s performances in part have helped them become the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference. He’s the most obvious candidate for the 6th Man Of The Year award and he’ll have his sights set on helping his team get back to the NBA Finals once again.
