Tyler Herro and Precious Achiuwa have been the bright spots of this Heat team right now, since half the team has been away due to Covid protocols. This was a time where possible leaps may have begun to be made, since Tyler and Precious had a lot more weight on their shoulders due to the increased roles.

But what are the exact areas that they’ve made strides this week?

Tyler Herro:

– Backboard Usage Around the Rim

Tyler Herro’s efficiency around the rim has a lot to do with his usage of the backboard pic.twitter.com/aOEhy3IjIG

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

Tyler Herro has been very efficient around the rim this season, and utilizing the backboard has been one of the main reasons for that. It’s something Goran Dragic uses a lot, and rightfully so, since it’s a veteran move. And by the way, I wouldn’t be surprised if Goran was the one who got Tyler to do it. Either way, it’s an incredible attribute to have at his age. His touch around the basket continues to be impressive, and that’s a hard thing for defenses to guard consistently.

– Finding Dead Spots

Tyler Herro finding dead spots off the pick and roll against drop coverage has been impressive pic.twitter.com/cdQGlx8ZEO

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

Tyler Herro’s increased role these past two games has allowed him to shine in certain areas. Since he’s had the ball in his hands frequently in the pick and roll, his ability to find dead spots have been apparent. Tyler has mentioned his comfort level when facing a drop coverage, and that is clear right here. He can navigate the mid-range area, which is where he is at his best.

– Natural Change of Speed

Herro continues to showcase a quick first step with the ball in his hands pic.twitter.com/9WRtoFhUTh

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

Tyler’s change of direction has been a surprising part of his game this far. As seen above, he can make quick adjustments when running at full speed. He turned his hips slightly to the right to freeze the defender, then exploded left for an easy bucket. He’s also shown his quick first step when in isolation. Defenses must have seen a lot of abrupt step-backs in film, which allows Tyler to explode off the dribble frequently this season.

– Decisive Play-Making

Herro continues to look more decisive in his decision making with the ball in his hands

His ability to throw the lob pass, then creates open opportunities at the basket

Same goes for Goran pic.twitter.com/0KKHwfzvtm

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

Now, this has been one of the most fun parts of Tyler Herro’s game this year. When people discuss Tyler as a play-maker, it’s not out on the perimeter setting up the offense. It’s actually when he is in full motion making instinctive decisions, which is why he’s been great with the lob pass. As seen in the first clip, Tyler comes off of a curl which creates a 2 on 1, which is when he is at his best. And his lob pass ability allowed a pass fake into an open layup. In the second clip, Joel Embiid stepped up which allowed an easy lob for a dunk.

Precious Achiwua:

– Utilizing an Escape Dribble

Precious Achiuwa utilizing an escape dribble is important for his role in this Heat offense

As for the jumper, that’s promising to see this early pic.twitter.com/182sJWEp5c

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

One of the things Precious Achiuwa didn’t do at the beginning of the season was put the ball on the floor. He found himself getting stuck sometimes since everybody knew he was swinging it or handing it off, while Bam has the ability to take others off the dribble. But after Precious got an increased role, he found himself becoming more comfortable in his skill-set. Here, he notices the crowd forming in the corner, and utilizes an escape dribble to the free throw line. And honestly, that’s more impressive than the jumper, which is also promising moving forward.

– Timing on the Boards

Precious Achiuwa’s timing on the boards has been the biggest reason for his rebounding success, other than his energy pic.twitter.com/2zs3GEwCqq

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

When people describe Precious’ rebounding ability, it usually starts with energy. But actually timing seems to be his biggest strength on the boards. As seen above, he doesn’t have any type of positioning on the taller Joel Embiid, but times it perfectly to go up and grab it, which then turned into a contested score at the basket. Timing has been seen a lot these last two games against Philadelphia, which is why he continues to get easy baskets off of tip ins.

– Patience Under the Rim

Achiuwa’s athleticism is on display here, but what stands out more is his patience when he gets the ball under the rim pic.twitter.com/Ms9XSQPdvw

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

Most young bigs who have high energy instinctively go back up with the ball right away once they get it. But Precious has shown an immense amount of patience in the paint. As seen there, he showcases his athleticism to go up and grab the ball, then re-adjusts under the rim. He then gives Joel Embiid a slight pump-fake to get him up into the air, and immediately rises for a layup. That has a lot to do with reading a situation, which Achiuwa has been great with as well.

– Control at Full Speed

Precious Achiuwa’s control while running at full speed has been on display quite a lot this season, especially right here pic.twitter.com/DRfIBmSPpL

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 15, 2021

Now, this play was one of Precious Achiuwa’s most impressive or flashy plays he has had this far, but the control he portrayed was not the first time. He was running full speed down the floor, per usual, and had to slow down for an impressive euro-step. His control has been seen on the defensive end as well, since he will be running full speed for a block and immediately stop to contest without fouling. Having that amount of control 10 games into his NBA career is a great sign.