Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro recently pushed back against the narrative that he has taken a step back as a player.
He argued that his rocky performance during the 2020-21 season was not a symptom of regression.
“Not in any way do I think I’ve regressed at all,” Herro said recently. “I think obviously I wasn’t really excited with my performance. But I think I’m not regressing in any way.”
He added that he plans to take advantage of the full offseason and will put in some work in several areas.
“So I’m excited to have a full offseason where I can lock in and really just work on some things that I want to work on and know I need to work on and really just continue to get better and not regress,” Herro added.
It’s an uncomfortable subject for any player to discuss, especially when the player in question is just 21 years old. The youngster has had to deal with immeasurable levels of pressure throughout the first two years of his career.
In the 2019-20 regular season, Herro got the attention of many fans by averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a rookie. He went on to average 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the postseason and was a key part of the team’s run to the 2020 NBA Finals.
In the 2020-21 campaign, however, he showed very few signs of growth. He averaged 15.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and was less efficient from 3-point land than he was during the previous year.
Perhaps factors like the shortened offseason and COVID-19 safety protocols played a role in his difficult season.
Herro said recently that he hopes to be a member of the Heat organization for a long time.
