Miami Heat: Tyler Herro And Devin Booker Comparisons Will Last An Eternity
By Isiah Curry
The Miami Heat’s second year guard, Tyler Herro, has drawn comparisons to All-World Phoenix guard, Devin Booker. Is it spot-on?
There are many similarities, as both were 19 year-old guards (Booker was 18 years when he was drafted, but turned 19 very early in the season) that were selected 13th overall from the University of Kentucky. Booker was on the board for Miami in the 2015 draft, but the Heat saw more versatility in Justise Winslow, ultimately selecting the Duke forward with the 10th overall pick.
Fast forward five seasons, in which Booker is now leading the Suns along with crafty floor general and veteran guard Chris Paul, to their first postseason berth in ten years. Much of the Suns’ credit should be allocated to Deandre Ayton and several role players, including former Heat forward Jae Crowder, who contributed greatly in Miami’s 2020 Finals run.
However, there’s no argument that after a 40-point triple-double in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, Booker is only proving to be one of the best shooting guards and players of the next generation.
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With a near-equal 6’5”, 200 lb frame, Herro is a large shooting guard — like Booker — with a special aptness to create from several different areas and to execute shots against high-difficulty defense. It’s a no-brainer that Tyler holds those same characteristics as the Suns star, but whether he can develop enough consistency to reach that level of stardom remains to be seen.
However, it can be argued that Herro hasn’t gotten the legitimate leeway that Booker got early on, as many are forgetting the meandered path that Booker took when he first came into the NBA. He was the first option for Phoenix, on teams like the one that had the fourth-worst record and were at the bottom of the league, while Miami had just began a retooling process after missing the playoffs for the first time after six seasons and a couple seasons after earning back-to-back titles.
It was almost imperative for the Suns to hit on him though and for an example of why, it’s about a franchise struggling to consistently win with five coaching changes in six years. It’s within your best interest to build your future around a younger asset and unlike Herro, Booker happened to be at the very center of it in a losing Phoenix situation.