Tyler Herro doesn’t have a confidence issue.
The Miami Heat guard believes he should be mentioned in the same breath as rising superstars Luka Doncic (Mavericks), Trae Young (Hawks) and Ja Morant (Grizzlies) — all of whom are on track to becoming perennial All-Stars.
“I feel like I’m in the same conversation as those guys, the young guys coming up in the league who can be All-Stars, Superstars one day — Luka, Trae Ja, you know, those guys, I feel like my name should be in that category too,” Herro said on the Bally Sports Miami Mic’d Up podcast.
The 21-year-old was asked about his long-term goals and where he sees himself in projections from critics that range from “role player” to “Hall of Famer.”
“I put the work in and continue to get better every single day,” Herro said. “I got a lot of goals in mind, to be an All-Star one day, and continue to chase my dream so I’m really excited to see where I can go.”
Tyler Herro compared himself to some of the best, young talent in the NBA. Getty ImagesHerro averaged 15.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists last year in the regular season. He has some catching up to do before reaching the status of Doncic — a two-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA First Team player and the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
Doncic and Young were drafted a year ahead of Herro, who was selected 13th overall by the Heat in the 2019 NBA Draft. Herro is in the same draft class as Morant, who was named Rookie of the Year in 2020.
Morant was also named All-Rookie First Team in 2020, and Herro was named All-Rookie Second Team that year.
Twitter had a field day with Herro’s comments.
“I think he should have his head examined but that’s just me,” one Twitter user said. Another added, “I’ll just act like I never saw Tyler Herro compared himself to Luka Doncic.”
During Miami’s media day last month, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said Herro put on 10-plus pounds of muscle in the offseason.
Herro entered fans’ radar in the 2020 NBA Bubble, where he helped the Heat win the East before falling to the Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals.
Herro averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 21 games in the 2020 NBA Bubble playoffs.
The Heat start their 2021-22 season at home against the defending NBA champion Bucks on Oct. 21.
