Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro’s play inside the bubble is inspiring some 2019 NBA Draft talk among scouts about his stature within his rookie class.
The Miami Heat fanbase wasn’t exactly “thrilled” when they selected Tyler Herro with their 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. But looking back now, they’re not the only ones harping on themselves for being so low on the Kentucky shooting guard.
His play inside the bubble has been inspiring regret into team scouts and executives more than anything. Herro is averaging 17.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in Miami’s seven games.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has utilized the 20-year old in a number of ways, including starting him at point guard in their loss to the Phoenix Suns over the last weekend. He went off for 25 points, 10 assists (career-high), and eight rebounds in 35 minutes of play.
Not even a whole week later, Herro notched a career-high 30 points in Miami’s last-minute loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. Make no mistake, everyone around the league is talking about the Heat’s rookie shooting guard ahead of playoffs.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald spoke with a couple of scouts on Thursday to gauge their thoughts on where he stands among his draft class:
"“Of the two veteran scouts contacted Thursday (both requested anonymity), one said he would select Herro either third or fourth in a redraft (he said it’s a toss-up with Hachimura), and the other said he would select him fifth, behind Williamson, Morant, Barrett, and Hachimura.”"
It’s not surprising to see that hindsight has proven a better judge than the view of the present when it comes to scouting and what became the 2019 NBA Draft order.
It was often talked of as a “three-player draft,” with most teams seeing little first-round value to anyone outside of Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett. They were all selected within the first three picks in that order by New Orleans, Memphis, and New York.
But Herro (among others) has proven that wrong. The second scout Jackson spoke with, placed him fifth, and firmly behind Hachimura:
"“Barrett can play both forward positions and two guard and you factor in rebounding [5.0 average to Herro’s 4.1] and he will be a better defender. But it’s very close in my view between Barrett and Herro. You like Barrett’s profile a little better. Rui is a unique package with his length and size, in the Brandon Ingram mold.”"
Still, that same scout made sure to give Herro his due:
"“He’s had some incredible offensive runs where he just shoots lights out,” that scout said. “If anyone had known he was going to play with the confidence he has and be OK as a defensive player and shoot the ball like he has, he would have gone higher. Shooting is a skill everyone is looking for, but Herro is not just a shooter.”"
A fair assessment given Herro is averaging 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in addition to his 13.5 points per game this season. The rookie guard has impressed both off of the glass and as we’ve seen recently–in the role of a distributor as well.
Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat will look to continue making the most of their first season together on Friday when they take on the Indiana Pacers. Tip-off is at 4:00 pm est.