Detroit Pistons Draft Prospects: Kentucky guard Tyler Herro

Size and shooting are vital to any NBA team’s success. Tyler Herro could offer both of those for the Pistons in 2019.

The Detroit Pistons are set to pick 15th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. In a draft full of players that are difficult to separate, Tyler Herro could be a standout.

While the Pistons are not necessarily on the market for a shooting guard with the positive development of Luke Kennard last season, the team needs more than just Kennard and Blake Griffin as threats from three-point range.

Kentucky’s Herro could fit that bill and be able to take on significant playing time fairly quickly.

Herro’s Heroic Shooting

Tyler Herro averaged 14 points, 2.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game in 37 games for Kentucky last season.

The freshman guard started all 37 games for the Wildcats — earning spots on the All-SEC Second Team for the season and an NCAA Tournament All-Region team for his work in the postseason.

The key to Herro’s offensive success is his shooting skill.

He is an excellent pull-up jump shooter and excels at dribbling just out of the defender’s reach to get a shot off.

Herro averaged just over 35 percent from three-point range on 4.6 attempts per game in college. He shot 46 percent overall from the floor, and was virtually automatic from the free throw line at 93 percent.

In his lone college season, he scored over 20 points six times — including a 29 point performance in a win against Arkansas. Herro went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in that game.

Big Herro 14

Tyler Herro’s jump shot is one of the purest in the draft and should translate nicely at his size in the NBA.

At 6’6, 192 pounds, Herro can use his height to shoot well over smaller defenders and he showed he can be an effective passer while covered. He ranked 11th in the SEC last season in points produced.

Herro’s frame should be favorable to put on more weight which will make him a potential option for defending wings in addition to shooting guards.

Guarding slower wings would even be favorable in several cases as Herro lacks lateral quickness on defense. If he does put on more weight for the NBA it is unlikely that will improve immediately.

That size and length would be positive for the Pistons’ lack of size on the wing. Herro would make for an effective small-ball small forward.

Draft Projections

Tyler Herro is currently projected to be available well beyond the Pistons at pick No. 15.

Several reports see Herro falling somewhere in the 17-25 range depending on trades that are very likely to happen in a draft with so few standouts in the middle.

Should the Pistons decide to shift picks around by trading up or down, Herro would be available and serve as a valuable asset to a team that struggles to score — especially off their bench.

However, Herro may fall to the Pistons as more of a “best available” pick as opposed to the team’s needs. They are desperate to find a long, quick wing player as well as a backup/successor to Reggie Jackson.

Herro does not quite fit the bill on either of those qualifications, but parts of his game would certainly be valuable if Detroit can find one of those other needs at pick No. 45 or the outskirts of free agency.