Herro signs before first summer loss
What can rookie guard offer Heat? ‘Whatever we need’
LAS VEGAS — The thought when Tyler Herro was selected at No. 13 in the NBA draft was that the Miami Heat were getting a shooter.
The reality, as the Heat play through their second week of summer league, is that Pat Riley landed a multifaceted prospect whose all-around game could fast-track his development as a rotation player.
And he now officially is a member of the Heat, signing his rookie-scale contract Wednesday, which also makes him ineligible to be traded for at least 30 days. Herro received the maximum allowable 20 percent increase over the NBA rookie scale.
He then went out and scored 15 points in a 90-87 loss to a similar roster of rookies, draft picks, free agents and young prospects from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Heat were led by the 28 points of emerging guard Kendrick Nunn, with Duncan Robinson scoring 13 and Yante Maten 12.
The Heat again were without secondround pick KZ Okpala, who still is acclimating. They lost forward Chris Silva in the second half with a bruised left knee.
As for Herro, his versatility is what summer-league coach Eric Glass began to see as early as the team’s camp leading up to both the California Classic and now the Las Vegas Summer League.
“He can give us whatever we need,” Glass said. “If we need a guy that can handle, get us into offense, if we need him to be pick-and-roll, if we need him to come off catch-and-shoots, he’s shown he can do it all and we feel comfortable in any of those spots.”
That confidence in Herro belies the reality that the guard is 19 years old and played just a single season at Kentucky.
“I love his competitiveness and I love his confidence,” Glass said. “I think those two things, no matter what’s happening in the game, he’s going to raise to the competitive level and he’s not going to back down from anything. He’s going to be ready for that moment late in the games, no matter how poorly or well his offense is going.”
Herro smiles at the notion that he’s expectations.
“I think I kind of expected to play good,” exceeded he said. “That’s why they got me here: to play good and compete every game. So that’s what I try to do.”
Herro’s passing has particularly opened eyes to the reality that he can play as a combo guard, if not one day as a true floor leader.
“From the day he came in, he proved that he could be a really good passer, so I put him in those roles,” Glass said. “The thing that surprised me, I guess, is his feel. It looks like he’s a second- or third-year guy
Summer League results
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“hat’s the thing that probably jumps out more than even the touch.”
Herro’s summer teammates the ball distribution.
“It’s definitely fun to play with Tyler,” said Nunn. “He gives me a lot of space and just relief a little bit. Elite combo guards, I love playing with guys like that.”
So does Maten.
“He’s really good at throwing lobs at the rim.,” Matan said of Herro. “It’s probably because of where he played in college. So that’s a credit to him.”
No credit needed, Herro what he does.
“It’s pretty natural to me,” he said. “I kind of come out every game and decide to get everyone involved, score and just do my own thing.”
And never get down, even amid several rough shooting starts over these past two weeks, something that was not the case with Wednesday’s 4-for-4, 11-point first quarter.
“He’s got incredible confidence,” Glass said. “We’re always going to encourage guys, but that’s more on him as a player [to]be able to stay with it, not get too high or too low. That’s a skill nowadays too.
“Some guys miss shots or have foul trouble, and they just get in the tank and can’t build themselves out of that. For him to have that at 19 is very impressive.”
Said Nunn, “I’m excited for his He’s going to be a good one.” said. are It’s relishing just future.