How does Heat’s Tyler Herro feel about his first All-Star selection? ‘This is just the next step’
This past offseason, Miami Heat president Pat Riley labeled Heat guard Tyler Herro as “fragile” because of his injury history. Now, Herro can be labeled as an NBA All-Star.
Herro learned Thursday night that he will represent the Heat as an Eastern Conference reserve in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Feb. 16 at Chase Center in San Francisco. It marks the first time that Herro has been selected for the All-Star Game in his six NBA seasons.
“It means a lot,” Herro said of the All-Star honor following Friday’s practice, with the Heat set to begin a four-game trip Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center (8:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “I think back to the first moment I walked in the arena after I got drafted and did our press conference, [Heat president Pat Riley] kind of gave the mic to [Heat coach Erik Spoelsta] and kind of said he was going to make me an All-Star.
“I feel like throughout the years, people thought it would come faster, sooner than this. But I think the time that we put in every year, every summer, it finally paid off and it was a lot of different trials and tribulations, back and forths with Spo, what I need to work on every single year. But I always just came in and tried to get better every single day.”
With the seven All-Star reserves from each conference picked by head coaches, Herro is just the 11th different Heat player in franchise history to be selected as an NBA All-Star (Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Anthony Mason, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Herro).
Herro is also just the third Heat draft pick to make the NBA All-Star Game while with the Heat, joining a short list that also includes Wade and Adebayo.
Among the East guards who Herro beat out for an All-Star reserve spot were Atlanta’s Trae Young, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey.
“I’m truly proud of Tyler because there’s been a lot of media that have thrown that man’s name in the mud,” Adebayo said Friday. “Y’all have thrown his name in trade rumors, y’all have said he’s not good enough, he can’t do this and he can’t do that, all the way down to somebody’s wingspan. So just looking at it from that standpoint and understanding how great Tyler can be, it’s a testament to him and how he’s really worked on his body, how he’s really prepared himself for moments like this.”
Not only has Herro been among the Heat’s most durable players this season after Riley challenged him last summer to play in more games, but Herro is also in the middle of his best NBA season.
Herro, who turned 25 on Jan. 20, is averaging career highs in points (24.1 per game), rebounds (5.6) and assists (5.4) while also shooting a career-best 47.4 percent from the field and a career-best 40 percent from three-point range on a career-high 9.7 three-point attempts per game. He has missed just one game this season.
The bottom line is Herro has been among the NBA’s top offensive players this season, as he holds an estimated offensive plus/minus (estimated impact on offense per 100 possessions) that ranks in the 97th percentile. The Heat’s offense has scored 10.2 more points per 100 possessions with Herro on the court than when he hasn’t been on the court this season.
“Everybody sees how much he puts into this game, and I think it’s a testament to his work, but also just coming into this season with great clarity,” Spoelstra said of Herro. “He had a clear mind, just really wanted to impact. He was pure about everything he was trying to do for the team, and then he got rewarded for really efficient play.
“It was good to see. I told him that I think from my standpoint, obviously because I’m a coach, but I think it’s the ultimate sign of respect when the other coaches are voting you in because they have to game plan for you every night. If they’re thinking about it because you’re a tough scout, a tough person to game plan, I think that was a great compliment.”
Along with Herro’s first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game, he said Friday that he will also take part in the Three-Point Contest on All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 15 at Chase Center.
This will mark Herro’s second appearance in the Three-Point Contest after being eliminated in the first round of the shooting contest during the 2023 All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
While the NBA has yet to formally announce that Herro will take part in this year’s Three-Point Contest, he will become just the fifth different player to take part in the event twice while with the Heat. The others are Jon Sundvold, Glen Rice, Daequan Cook and James Jones.
The Heat will also be represented in other events during All-Star Weekend next month.
Heat second-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. was picked to take part in the Rising Stars showcase.
Rising Stars, which is the annual showcase of top first- and second-year NBA players and NBA G League standouts, will be played on Feb. 14 at Chase Center during All-Star Weekend.
Jaquez also took part in Rising Stars last year as a rookie. Wade, Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley, Herro and Jaquez are the only five Heat players who have been multitime selections for the Rising Stars showcase.
Under the Rising Stars event’s new format, Jaquez will even have a chance to qualify for this year’s NBA All-Star Game as a Rising Stars participant. For the first time, the winning Rising Stars team will clinch a spot in the NBA All-Star Game’s new mini-tournament.
On top of all that, Heat two-way contract players Josh Christopher and Isaiah Stevens have been selected to take part in the G League Up Next Game that will take place on Feb. 16 at Moscone Center in San Francisco during All-Star Weekend. Both Christopher and Stevens have thrived with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, this season.
But the story of All-Star Weekend this year for the Heat is Herro and the significance of his first NBA All-Star Game appearance.
“I think this is just the next step, honestly,” Herro said. “I felt at some point I was going to be an All-Star. It was just about the work I continue to put in every day. On the good days, on the bad days, just continuing to do it every single day. It finally paid off. But I feel like it’s just a stepping stone in my career and this is the direction I want to be going in.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat ruled out Jimmy Butler (team suspension), Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation), Dru Smith (Achilles surgery) and Isaiah Stevens (G League) for Saturday’s game in San Antonio.
Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson are both listed as questionable to rejoin the Heat for Saturday’s contest after spending time in the G League.
The rest of the Heat’s roster is expected to be available against the Spurs.
This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM.
