Nothing Wrong With Tyler Herro Feeling Like He Belongs Among League's Elite

Tyler Herro backtracks on comments about Luka Doncic and Trae Young but remains confident

Sometimes, the media want it both ways. 

There are complaints when an athlete is too bland when speaking with reporters. When athletes do speak their mind, they are sometimes referred to as cocky or overconfident. 

Heat guard Tyler Herro has faced this dilemma since entering the NBA in 2019 and it continued earlier this week regarding his comments about Luka Doncic and Trae Young. 

When speaking on a Bally Sports Florida Network podcast,  he said he deserved mention with the likes of Doncic and Young. They are both among the league's top players while Herro is attempting to recover from what many called a sophomore slump last year. 

“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,” Herro said. “You know, Luka, Trae, Ja. Those guys like that, I feel like my name should be in that category, too. I put the work in, and I’m just continuing to get better every single day. So I got a lot of goals in mind to be an All-Star one day and continue to chase my dreams. So I’m really excited to see where I can go.”

The comments immediately drew some media, with many saying it was too soon to make any comparison. Eventually, Herro clarified what he said. 

“What I meant by that was I feel like those are the guys that I’m chasing at this time, not really the same player as them,” Herro said after Wednesday's practice. But being able to chase them, and be at the level they’re at. Obviously they have their own teams and everything like that. For me to chase them, and try to be in the category as them, that’s definitely where my mind is, for sure. I don’t think I should sell myself short of anything.”

But should Herro have to backtrack on how he truly feels? The Heat would have more concerned if Herro said he just wanted to be a marginal player. 

There's nothing wrong with high expectations. 

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com