Last year, Miami Heat youngster Tyler Herro said he believes he’s in the “same conversation” as young superstars like Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Ja Morant.
Unsurprisingly, the statement got a lot of attention.
In the time since Herro made that statement, the young guard has had a career season in the NBA, earned Sixth Man of the Year honors and secured a major contract extension from the Heat. His stock is certainly rising.
Herro recently reflected on the way people reacted to his statement last year and doubled down on his take.
“Everyone has their own view of — when someone says something, they interpret it their own way, which they have the right to do,” Herro said of the way people took his comments last year. “But those players are great players, great young players. Like I said last year, I don’t feel any different, and however other people feel that, that doesn’t affect me and how I feel about myself. So, just being able to get on the court and prove it, that’s all that I can do, and people can talk all they want. I think my numbers back it up, and I think I continue to get better. But at the end of the day, there’s a bunch of great young players in the league, and I’m one of them, so I appreciate everyone that puts me in that category.”
It’s certainly understandable if some fans feel that Herro doesn’t belong in the category as players like Doncic, Young and Morant. All three of those players have earned at least one All-Star selection in addition to at least one All-NBA selection. Herro hasn’t earned either of those honors yet.
However, the 22-year-old is certainly improving, and it could be just a matter of time until he starts to rack up some accolades.
Of course, the fact that he won Sixth Man of the Year honors in the 2021-22 season is no small feat. He was a huge weapon for the Heat off the bench, as he averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest.
The fact that Herro has been largely a bench player throughout his career so far could be holding him back from being seen as an elite young player by fans. The former first-round pick has made it very clear that he wants to start, and it seems like there’s a very good chance that’ll happen this season.
Regardless, there’s no doubt that Herro is a special talent, and the Heat are certainly happy with the player he has become since the organization drafted him in 2019. Time will tell if he can take another step this season and start to gain more respect around the NBA.