Herro’s red-hot for the Heat
Ex-Whitnall star thriving in NBA’s Summer League
LAS VEGAS — Tyler Herro was the first Miami player to take the floor before the Heat played the Orlando Magic this week.
As Herro warmed up, he appeared to be in his own world, processing pregame thoughts by taking different variations of three-point shots.
For now, Herro’s way might be the only thing that’s familiar to him as he looks forward to being on a team that’s been, and could still be, changing its outlook.
Since Herro entered the league as the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft last month, the Milwaukee native’s new team has been in the middle of several moves. On July 6, Miami acquired allstar forward and former Marquette standout Jimmy Butler in a sign and trade, shipping away Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside in the process.
On July 9, ESPN reported that Miami is a potential trade partner that appeals to 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City. A trade for Westbrook might have to include Herro.
As trades and rumors become the new norm, Herro said he hasn’t been in a situation where things can change so quickly, even though his past two years have been nothing but new experiences.
“You can see something new every day,” Herro said of the NBA. “So really, just taking it one day at a time.”
However, he’s facing that bit of uncertainty head on, taking on the challenge of proving he’s a complete basketball player.
During Herro’s game against the Magic, just the third of four scheduled games in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, the University of Kentucky product did what he’s best known for, a penchant to score. He collected 25 points, besting the 23 he dropped on the Chinese World Cup team.
That offensive prowess was well known at Whitnall High School, where he scored 32.9 points per game during his senior season of 2017-’18 and garnered attention from Power 5 college programs from Wisconsin, where he originally committed, to Arizona and eventually Kentucky.
After he de-committed from the Badgers – a move that drew the ire of Wisconsin fans – he signed and enrolled at Kentucky, and was the SEC Newcomer of the Year last season after averaging 14 points per game for the Wildcats.
Still, that elite scoring ability left questions about other parts of his game, such as defense and passing.
Against the Magic on Tuesday, some of those questions were answered. Herro filled the box score with seven rebounds, five assists and one steal to go along with his 25 points. He made 3pointers in transition, and even tossed a well-placed lob to Yante Maten for a dunk.
That play, according to Heat Summer League coach Eric Glass, is what Herro has been showing since Day 1 with the Heat.
“This is the only Tyler I know,” Glass said. “He’s shown he can do it all, and we feel comfortable in any of those spots.”
Glass said he’s been impressed the most with Herro’s competitiveness and confidence, which lifts Herro’s play to match the competition.
That confidence is why Herro said he expected to play well in Summer League, even during a transition period in his career.
“Being a rookie in the NBA is a new transition for myself,” Herro said. ”Just taking it one day at a time, learning as much as possible and coming in every day with an open mind.”
It’s been a whirlwind of a past two years for Herro, and it still might not be over.
He could be traded, or he could be playing with Butler or Westbrook; it’s impossible for him to know the future. For now, he’s focusing on the one thing he knows he can do in Las Vegas, prove he’s not just a scoring threat.
Said Herro, “I just try to come out every game and show that I’m a complete player.”