Miami Heat star guard Tyler Herro is unfazed by outside noise, something he’s experienced plenty of at the NBA level.
He recently spoke about what it was like hearing people speculate about his true value to the Heat during his time on the shelf due to a sprained ankle.
“I mean, people love to talk about me, so I don’t really feed into it,” Herro said. “People talk about me all day, literally all day about this or that, wins or losses, points or no points, what I wear, everything.”
Herro explained why the outside noise hasn’t gotten to him.
“Just more mature and I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “So I’m not too worried about what people say, for real.”
The 23-year-old was sidelined for over a month due to an ankle injury, but he has been playing great basketball ever since he made his return to the lineup in the Heat’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 18. He has scored 25-plus points in each of the three games he’s played in since rejoining the team.
He had his highest scoring performance of this stretch in Miami’s most recent game against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 22. Across 34 minutes of action, Herro dropped 30 points, seven rebounds and two assists while shooting 11-of-21 from the floor and 7-of-13 from behind the 3-point line.
The guard’s excellent play lately has helped the Heat win games. The team is on a two-game winning streak at the moment. Miami beat the Orlando Magic on Dec. 20 before defeating the Hawks two days later.
The Heat’s win over the Hawks was their last game before Christmas. On Christmas, they will host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers — who own the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference right now at 20-8 — are playing about as well as any team in the league at the moment, seeing as how they have won eight of their last 10 games and are riding a two-game winning streak.
Herro has put up some of the best numbers of his pro career in 11 appearances with the Heat so far during the 2023-24 regular season. He is averaging 24.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3-point range.
With any luck, Herro will be able to avoid the injury bug for the remainder of the 2023-24 season and beyond now. His ability to score the ball could prove to be crucial to the Heat’s chances of making another deep playoff run this upcoming spring.
