The 2019 NBA Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. The Game Haus will be doing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft. Kentucky guard Tyler Herro spent one season at Kentucky before declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvbh8aZKFGs
Background
Position: Wing
Class: Freshman
2018-2019 stats: 14.0 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, 1.1 steals per game, 0.3 blocks per game, 46.2% field goal, 35.5% 3 point
Size: 6-foot-5, 195 pounds
Herro was the lowest-rated recruit in the 2018 class for Kentucky according to 247 sports, but had a successful season. Now, he may be the first Kentucky Wildcat selected in the 2019 NBA Draft because of his good offensive game.
His freshman season started off pretty poorly, as he shot 23.5% from the field in his first two games for Kentucky. One of those games was a huge loss to Duke, the other was a win over Southern Illinois where he scored 0 points. Once he settled down, Herro became a good offensive player and gave great effort on defense, which helped Kentucky advance to the Elite Eight before being eliminated by Auburn.
Although the season didn’t end as well as Herro may have wanted, his ability to shoot and score has made him one of the best wings in the class. Herro is currently projected to be selected in the middle of the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Strengths
Playing in the NBA won’t faze Herro, as he has a knack for hitting big shots or playing well in huge moments. In the NCAA Tournament, Herro guarded the all-time leading 3-point shooter in NCAA Division I history in Fletcher Magee. Although he isn’t the greatest defender, his effort and hustle allowed him to hold Magee to eight points. In the Sweet Sixteen against Houston, Kentucky was down by one with under 30 seconds to play. Herro hit a three to put Kentucky up two and they went on to win the game.
Herro also does a lot of little things right, making him a better overall player. He rebounds well for his size, plays defense with good effort and protects the ball. In addition to those three things, Herro might be the best free throw shooter in the draft class and hit 93.5 percent of his foul shots last season.
Weaknesses
Although he can make contested shots, Herro simply takes too many of him. There are plenty of times where he can get a better shot, but settles for a contested 3-point shot early in the shot clock. If he takes better shots in the NBA, his 3-point percentage should increase.
Herro is a good shooter overall, but he does have a tendency to go hot and cold. There were several games during the year where he finished in the single digits in points. With the floor spread in the NBA, he should get more open looks, but if he is having a cold night, he may not be able to knock those shots down.
He had a phenomenal game chasing Magee all over the court on defense, but Herro needs to buy in like that every game. At times he needs better defensive positioning and he needs to help more. His technique and recognition of what an offense is doing can also improve. If he focuses like he did against Wofford, Herro can be a great “3 and D” player in the league, but he hasn’t shown the defense enough yet to warrant that label.
Projected Draft Range: Mid-First Round Pick
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