Shaquille O’Neal Praises Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro

The former Heat star marveled at Herro’s performance during halftime.

Halfway through the Miami Heat’s Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Tyler Herro had a team-high 16 points. Herro finished the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He shot 60 percent from the field and beyond the arc.

Former Heat center Shaquille O’Neal had some positive words for Herro’s first-half performance on Inside the NBA. O’Neal defended Herro’s level of play, saying that he has as big of an impact as other young stars.

“Anybody who talks like that and plays like that, you’ve got to believe him,” O’Neal said. “[Herro] said, ‘You guys are always marveling Trae [Young] and Luka [Doncic], you need to marvel me.’ And we are marveling him right now.”

Before the season, Herro stated that he wanted to be in the same conversation as players such as Ja Morant, Young, and Doncic. This statement was brushed off by fans and analysts, but Herro has made his mark as a role player in the league.

Herro recently won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, becoming the second-youngest player to accomplish this feat. Herro averaged 20.7 points, five rebounds, and four assists during the 2021-22 season. His 20.7 points off the bench led NBA reserves in scoring.

While his progression is admirable, Herro said that he isn’t satisfied and still wants to continue improvement.

“I want to be an All-Star next year or two and just continue to get better,” Herro said to reporters after winning his award. “I want to be able to make another jump that I made this year, make another one next, and just continue to keep progressing, and hope one day be an All-Star.”

The Heat have a 2-0 lead over the 76ers in the conference semifinals. They play in Philadelphia Friday at 7 p.m.

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.