Tyler Herro lit the NBA on fire as a rookie in 2019-20. He played a crucial role in leading the Miami Heat to an NBA Finals appearance in the Bubble and immediately established himself a future star.
Sexy Instagram models, odd tattoos, and weird love triangles followed. He quickly became a legend.
In fact, Herro was so good in his rookie campaign that Miami refused to trade him for James Harden.
Unfortunately, the good times for Herro grinded to a halt in Year 2.
After putting up 15.0 points on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc, he earned a starting nod early this season. The Heat subsequently went 5-9 in the first 14 games where was in the starting lineup, leading to a demotion to the bench.
It only got worse from there. After averaging 16.0 points per game in the Heat’s run to the Finals last season, Herro ended up averaging a mere 9.3 points on 31.6 percent shooting in this season’s playoffs.
Despite his indisputable regression in 2020-21, Herro was still invited to be a member of the USA Men’s Select Team. A few weeks ago, Bam Adebayo, who is on the USA National Team, offered his thoughts on how Herro’s presence on the USA Men’s Select Team would hopefully help the 21-year-old next year. In the process, he confirmed Herro’s most glaring weakness – adding to the chorus of drama and negativity that has been surrounding the young star for the past year.
So how does Herro feel about all this chatter regarding his lack of progression and his future with the Heat? This past week he spoke to reporters at FTX Arena during an appearance at the Jr. Heat summer camp.
“I’m done listening to all that, honestly,” Herro said, per Khobi Price of the Sun Sentinel. “Every time we’re not playing, or even if we are playing, my name’s brought up in something.
“So, it is what it is at this point. I’m focused on getting better and getting this team better.”
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
That’s a healthy approach, though it probably won’t save Herro in Miami. Heat fans have already turned on him, and it’s unlikely that Pat Riley passes up another opportunity to include him in trade. That, coupled with the fact that the Heat are being linked to a blockbuster deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, is evidence enough that the end is nigh for Herro in Miami – regardless of what he says.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
