Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Pierce has bizarre take on potential Tyler Herro return

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/2/23

The Miami Heat appear increasingly likely to get guard Tyler Herro back from injury at some point in the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce, however, does not see that as a good thing.

In the latest episode of the “Ticket & The Truth” podcast with Kevin Garnett, Pierce made the bizarre statement that he did not see where Herro fit into the current iteration of the Heat in the midst of their successful playoff run. Pierce even added that Caleb Martin should keep playing ahead of Herro, even if Herro is healthy.

"Caleb Martin is better than Herro….you throw him off by bringing Herro back" – Paul Pierce@paulpierce34 says bringing Tyler Herro back throws off Miami's rhythm, especially Caleb Martin. Y'all think Miami needs Herro to beat the Nuggets? https://t.co/2DvSiCZLiU pic.twitter.com/Z17R0RLCjt

— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) June 2, 2023

“If I’m Miami, how do you even play him? They got a rhythm going,” Pierce said of Herro. “Him being hurt might have been a blessing in disguise for them because we see what Caleb Martin has turned into, because Caleb Martin is better than Herro. That might throw Caleb off.”

To be clear, Martin has had an outstanding playoff run. That was particularly true in the Eastern Conference Finals, where he was second on the team with 19.3 points per game. Herro, however, averaged more than 20 points per game during the regular season, and he brings a major perimeter threat to a Miami offense that, while better in the playoffs, was not great in the regular season. Plus, Martin scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in Thursday’s series opener at Denver.

Some of Pierce’s predictions have aged poorly during the playoffs, to put it mildly. It’s tough to see this take aging much better.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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