Heat’s Herro doesn’t ‘think I’m gonna be a big deal’ when he returns home vs. Bucks
Tyler Herro has shown a lot.
The Miami Heat’s rookie guard showed his ability to create shots and score during the preseason when he averaged a team-high 14.2 points and shot at a 46.4 percent clip (51.9 from three) in five games.
He showed he can step up as needed when he made the first start of his NBA career as a last-minute insertion into the starting lineup on opening night; he replaced guard Jimmy Butler, who was not with the team in its 120-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies due to the birth of his daughter.
Now, with the pressure of playing in his first NBA game behind him, Herro can show a little bit more as he faces a new challenge: playing in a tough road environment when the Heat (1-0) takes on the Milwaukee Bucks (1-0) Saturday at 5 p.m. at Fiserv Forum.
Herro will likely remain in the Heat’s starting lineup as Butler is not expected to travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, which includes a visit to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Sunday.
And as a Milwaukee native, Herro said he’s excited and ready to return home. He attended Whitnall High School, which is in Greenfield, Wisconsin, but elected to join coach John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats instead of staying home and becoming a Wisconsin Badger.
He averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a freshman at Kentucky last season, shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 35.5 from three and 93.5 percent from the free-throw line.
The Heat’s No. 13 pick said after Friday’s practice he doesn’t know what type of reception to expect in Saturday’s return to Wisconsin.
“They have the MVP,” he said of Milwaukee, which won its season opener against the Rockets with a triple-double performance from reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, “ so I don’t think I’m gonna be a big deal to them in Milwaukee But I’m excited to just get home and play on the floor I’ve been looking up to my whole life.”
The 19 year old is coming off an NBA debut in which he scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and stole the ball twice in 34 minutes Wednesday against the Grizzlies. And he wasted no time making an impact in his first real NBA action, scoring the Heat’s first points of the game with a bank shot in the first minute.
“It was a dream come true being able to step on the NBA floor” Herro said. “I thought we played a little shaky in the first half, definitely, but then we stepped it up in the second half. I was just excited to get out there and [take] one step forward and another tomorrow.”
And Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praises Herro’s versatility and ability to adjust after his performance.
“He is not just a spot-up shooter and he’s not just a catch-and-shoot guy,” Spoelstra said. “That’s unique to be able to fly off screens as a young player. Usually, you have to develop that and it takes a handful of years, but he’s been training all summer to develop that type of game. He also has a game off the bounce where he can make reads, put pressure in the paint. I think he had some opportunities to drive and kick.
“He has that type of ability, too, to find wide-open shots for his teammates. And that’s part of making the reads of teams who are now treating him with the respect he deserves. He figures things out pretty quickly, and that’s a good weapon to have.”