One of the key talking points throughout this version of the Cleveland Cavaliers is whether a starting backcourt of two small, below-average defenders in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell was going to doom the team to something less than a championship contender.
This explosive and dominant season put those fears somewhat to rest, but it's still an open question that this team will need to answer as they advance further into the playoff bracket. And it's a question that came up leading into their first-round series with the Miami Heat, who have an All-Star guard of their own in Tyler Herro who was red-hot heading into the playoffs, dropping 38 and 30 points respectively in Miami's two Play-In Tournament wins.
Who on the Cavaliers could slow Herro down? That question was answered in an unorthodox way by head coach Kenny Atkinson, who played reserve wing Sam Merrill on Herro for a large amount of the time. The Heat's best offensive option wasn't able to get going.
What wasn't discussed enough, however, was the fact that while the Cavaliers had to find a way to slow down Herro, the Heat had to find a way to slow down all of Cleveland's high-octane guards. And the reality that Tyler Herro had to hide on someone.
Tyler Herro has nowhere to hide
There is no safe place for Tyler Herro, one of the league's worst high-minute players on defense, to hide. He isn't going to survive running through screens again and again as Max Strus or Merrill fly around the court -- and he needs to conserve some amount of energy to carry the Heat on offense. That means defending either Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell, both losing propositions.
It doesn't get any easier when one of those two All-Stars sit, either, as Ty Jerome comes off the bench ready to shoot and score. All three guards can absolutely roast Herro -- and they did on repeat in Game 1.
Per tracking data cited by the Dunc'd On Basketball Podcast, Ty Jerome was 5-for-6 when guarded by Tyler Herro on Sunday evening for 11 points. Darius Garland scored 11 of his own when defended by Herro on 5-for-7 shooting. Herro may as well not have been there.
It's not going to get better. There is no magic potion to solve this problem. The Cavaliers have three dynamic guards and no weak links for Herro. And if Sam Merrill can continue to survive defending Herro, Kenny Atkinson doesn't have to play Isaac Okoro major minutes (if any), ensuring there is no safe harbor for Herro to hide in.
The Heat's only chance revolves around Tyler Herro being significantly better than his counterpart, be that Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland. Thus far he has been outplayed by both, not to mention by bench guard Ty Jerome.
Herro scored 21 points on 7-for-18 shooting with a trio of turnovers. Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Ty Jerome each scored at least 27 points and altogether they shot 31-of-51 from the field. As Shaquille O'Neal might say, "barbecue chicken."
There is nowhere for Tyler Herro to hide, and that will lead to an early exit for the Heat this season.