Getty Miami Heat's Tyler Herro
Tyler Herro played gutsy during his rookie season in the NBA.
The Kentucky product averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists for a Miami Heat team that made it to the NBA Finals in the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Herro, 20, became the youngest player to start an NBA Finals game at 20 years, 256 days.
For those keeping score at home: Herro was eight days younger than Magic Johnson was when he started Game 1 for the Lakers in 1980 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Also worth noting: In Game 4 of the same Finals series, he achieved the most 3 pointers made by a rookie in NBA Playoffs history, accomplishing 45 beyond-the-arc shots while surpassing Matt Maloney’s 43 3PM record during the 1997 NBA Playoffs.
His shooting and tenacity on the floor has drawn comparisons to both Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson and NBA legend Bob Sura.
“I love his game,” retired NBA vet, Olden Polynice told me last summer.
“He could end up being Klay Thompson with handles.
“Tyler Herro’s game reminds me a lot of Bobby Sura,” WNBA legend, Chasity Melvin told me last year.
Retired NBA legend, Brevin Knight, a former Cavs teammate of Sura’s sees the comparison.
“Yes,” he told the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.
“The dead eye shooting of Klay Thompson. I think he has that and the swagger of Bob Sura. Like a lot of people might not remember Bob Sura but, when he was at Florida State just coming in to the league, B-Su was that swag white guy! At the end of the day, if you look throughout the whole league, who was that dude? It was Bob Sura! And now you’re looking around and it’s Tyler Herro! Like it’s that same swag like how he played the game. Like, “I’m out here. I don’t care what you’re doing, this is what I do!” And so, it’s fun to watch him play. I even went back and watched some of his high school games where people used to go at him and they way the crowd was he used to shake it off and he would just go out there and cook people.”
Knight was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16th pick in the 1997 NBA Draft out of Stanford. An NBA All-Rookie First Teamer in 1998, from 1997-2009 Knight played with nine NBA teams including the Cavs, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz.
He averaged 7.3 points, 6.1 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. After a successful NBA career he transitioned into television. He is currently a Memphis Grizzlies analyst on Fox Sports Net Memphis.
He likes what he sees with Herro. “It’s fun to go and watch the young fella out there and play with a little bit of an edge,” he tells Heavy Live With Scoop B.
“He almost reminds me a little of Devin Booker. And Devin Booker was the same way; Booker came in with that same edge and same swag. And when I knew he was real was when he went up against Tony Allen. In the beginning of his career this dude was giving Tony Allen problems! And it was strictly with his confidence. Like usually Tony would rattle people; after a certain amount of time he’s gonna rattle you and the young fella DIDN’T get rattled. I was like, ‘He’s gonna be a problem for years to come.'”