Behind the swag and sneer of Tyler Herro is a Heat coach pushing for (and getting) more

That his rookie season will end at Disney World makes perfect sense with Tyler Herro. The Miami Heat rookie guard has proven to be the ultimate playoff thrill ride.

There has been a 37-point performance against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals; a variety of wild conversions, including a to-the-rafters floater over Anthony Davis on Tuesday night; and an ascension to the top of the Heat’s rookie postseason scoring list.

But the Heat also have been outscored by a team-worst 48 points in these NBA Finals with Herro on the floor, the Los Angeles Lakers seizing upon defense that contributed to his No. 13 landing spot in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft.

That has had assistant coach Chris Quinn spending these past 15 months breaking in and breaking down the 20-year-old bubble breakout star.

“Tyler has great ambition. He has great drive,” Quinn told the Sun Sentinel during a break in playoff preparations, with the Heat down 3-1 to the Lakers in the best-of-seven NBA Finals going into Friday’s 9 p.m. Game 5. “He wants to be great. He doesn’t just want to be good. So he’s motivated on a daily basis to improve and he does a really good job of accepting criticism, trying to attack his weaknesses, get better at his strengths.” At times, it is as if Quinn finds himself trying to tame a wild stallion, the cockiness of the University of Kentucky product practically calling for training bridles.

“I think it really just comes down to how he’s able to channel it,” said Quinn, the former Heat point guard who is in his fourth season as a Heat assistant coach. “I think every player has this confidence in themselves and ego, swag whatever you want to call it, and he’s able to channel it in the right way. And he does it in a way where he can also admit and take accountability when he needs to improve at other things, as well.

“But he definitely shows that swagger on the court and it definitely is a big reason who he is and what he is. But he works extremely hard at it. He puts in a lot of time on the court, in the film room. Whatever he can do to improve himself as a player, he’s interested in doing it.”

Quinn’s work with Herro began before Herro, 20, joined the team, having put the 6-foot-5 guard through his predraft workout at AmericanAirlines Arena.

“Right away you could tell his competitive spirit, you know, the swag that everyone talks about,” Quinn said. “And you could tell his skill set, especially in the modern NBA, his ability to not only shoot, but have great ball skills and do things with the ball in his hands. It stood out right away.”

The balance now is maximizing that skill set and minimizing the defensive deficiencies that LeBron James and his Lakers teammates have seized upon these past four games.

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“I think the important thing is he’s aware of it,” Quinn said. “In the Indiana [first-round] series, he was like, ‘Listen, I know what they’re doing. They’re trying to attack me.’ He takes accountability and he wants to improve at it. He’s not a small guard. So he has size. He has ability to move. He’s fast. He can move laterally.

“So I think it’s something that he only will improve at and figure out a way to be better on that side of the court. Obviously, we’re going to continue to challenge him to do it.”

With Goran Dragic sidelined with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, Herro has slid into the starting role at point guard the past three games, which likely also will be the case Friday.

Based on the results, the Heat well could be finding their point guard of the future.

“He definitely has the instincts to find other guys, make ’em better and make the right play,” Quinn said. “And in regard to the position-less thing, particularly with guards, there are a lot of guards on the better teams that are able to dribble, pass and shoot. And whatever position that is, if you can do those three things, which he is definitely capable of doing, it definitely puts you in a better spot to be successful.

“Through his film work and his drive to improve, he’s really starting to see the third defender on the weak side, when he has to make the sprays and the kickouts to the open guys, and how he can use his skill set to get whatever the best shot is for the team. He really is good at that.”