“He’s a core player. That’s all there is to it.” Miami Heat President Pat Riley broadly stated during the team’s exit interview in June, when he asked about the upcoming future for 21 year-old guard Tyler Herro.
With merely 70 days remaining until the 2021-22 NBA season, the Heat are filling out the remaining spots of their roster in preparation for next month’s training camp.
Barring the unexpected, the chances are inevitable that Herro suits up in a Miami Heat uniform at the October tip-off. Drawing back to both Riley and the Heat organization’s commitments to players, Herro is at the forefront of Miami’s longterm plans.
While they’re favored to be a playoff-caliber roster with the addition of veterans such as Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker, plans of competing in the Eastern Conference are now reinforced. That means that Herro’s development as a rising star is just as exclusive.
Miami Heat: Can Tyler Herro Still Take Another Leap In Coming Season?
In a summer of ongoing rumors, much uncertainty has surrounded Herro for nearly the entirety of it as free agency and the offseason hovered. However, as the Heat remain put with their former 2019 lottery pick, his personal growth will be an intricate factor towards their success.
He addressed improving in the weaker areas of his game, such as finishing stronger around the basket and with additional size added to his frame.
Herro isn’t expected to begin the 2021-22 season in a starting role, much like he did where he was thrown into an unsuccessful point guard experiment the season prior, but he’ll look to reestablish himself as the Heat’s primary scorer off the bench, which is, arguably, best suited for his skillset and current age.
With the Heat acquiring a playmaking point guard in Kyle Lowry, as well as re-signing Victor Oladipo — who’s bound to return later in the year — bench scoring remains a weakness for Miami. Although with groomed veterans around him, this move immediately inserts Herro into a reserve role where he can not only become one of the most prominent bench scorers, but hopefully an All-Star caliber player.
Miami will need their, eventual, third-year guard to lead the second unit.
Miami Heat: With Less Pressure And More Opportunity, Tyler Herro Will Take Another Jump
In 15 games as a starter, Herro averaged 17.5 points per game, which was just a basket over his season average. However, another improvement was his regular season percentage of 43.7 percent to just under 46 percent.
Although age and inexperience in his role might’ve impacted his ability to solidify himself as a consistent third option behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Herro was still Miami’s third-leading scorer. An established reserve role heading into next season is what’s needed for Herro.
For a Heat team that ranked in the bottom-tier in scoring proficiency last season, the minutes and touches should all come to fruition. Another benefit for Herro will be the fact that this next NBA season is reverting to less back-to-backs.
In seven games where Herro had at least two days of rest last season and per NBA.com, he averaged 20.7 points, 51.4 percent from the field, and 42.6 percent from outside. That’s big time production.
The Heat won’t necessarily need Tyler to become an All-Star caliber player this season, but he’s in an ideal situation to reach that potential. However, a step further in offensive consistency will be needed throughout the regular season and likely, further into the playoffs.
The window is wide open for him to improve to another level. He has the luxury of not having all the pressure, but having a situation that’s still conducive to him producing at a big time level in some pressure-packed situations.