It’s a strange situation when a team so good that it has a high chance of making the finals has as its best swaggy shot creator a babyfaced sixth-man rookie. Not like having a babyface has any bearing on how good a player is at creating swaggy shots. The rookie part is the important part.
Tyler Herro isn’t the world’s greatest player at this point, in fact he may be getting slightly overrated by casuals (who, by the way, are explicitly DENIED permission to watch this video), but he’s the guy I want taking the shot in a low-shot-clock situation or other times when ball movement is not an option. Jimmy Butler might seem like the better option, considering his All-Star pedigree and general reputation, but remember: he was literally the WORST jumpshooter in the league this season. Goran Dragic, again, has a bit of a pedigree, but he’s not an iso, one-on-one type of scorer at all. Bam Adebayo? No. Jae Crowder? No. Duncan Robinson? I don’t think he can dribble. I might even take Kendrick Nunn over all these other dudes.
Herro, though, has the handles, the shot, and most importantly, the balls (his college coach, John Calipari, called them “elephant balls”, which doesn’t seem like a very professional statement) to take the tough shots. You give him the ball, clear out, and he’ll make something happen. It might not be a very good thing, but a shot, dripping with swag, will be going up, and it will probably at least hit rim. This is a valued skill, even if, in this modern era of NBA basketball, players built around the skill are reviled by advanced stats.
Also, don’t even look at the on-off stats for Herro. It will make you sad. Instead watch this highlight video, which will make you happy.