Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro was an ascending star after the Orlando Bubble in 2020. He was an integral part of the team advancing to the NBA Finals. His coming-out party was in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
He scored a career-high 37 points to help the Heat take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. He was excellent throughout the entire postseason, scoring double-figures every game except the last one against the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals.
Big things were expected of Herro heading into his second season. Unfortunately, he fell well short of those expectations along with the entire team.
Herro struggled to consistently find the same success he had in the Orlando Bubble. The Heat struggled as a whole, as they were eliminated in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks, who swept them in four games.
Trade rumors revolved around Herro throughout the offseason as a result. There were reports of it being at least a 75 percent chance that he would be traded by the Heat.
He ignored the rumors and focused on improving his game on the court. He will once again be counted on as an important piece of the puzzle for the Heat, who are looking to become challengers in the Eastern Conference again.
Herro has looked good thus far in the preseason, poised to breakout. He is very confident in his abilities, confident enough that he believes he should be mentioned among the other young star players in the game, including Luka Doncic.
“I feel like I’m in the same conversation as those guys, the young guys coming up in the league who can be All-Stars, superstars one day — Luka, Trae Ja, you know, those guys, I feel like my name should be in that category too.”
Well, it is certainly good when a player has confidence in his abilities. But, Herro has some ways to go before he is in the same category as guys such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Ja Morant.
But, that is a good goal to set for himself. If he can take that next step this season, he could start hearing his name mentioned among the other great youngsters in this game. Tyler Herro has a little ways to go, but the skill, confidence and bravado are there to make it happen.
