Miami Heat's Tyler Herro in Rare Company During Preseason

The third-year guard was among the league's top players during the exhibition season

Last week Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro talked about how he belonged in the same conversation as rising stars Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Ja Morant. 

Ready or not, Herro at least was in good company during the preseason. He was the only player to average at least 20 points on 50 percent shooting, 40 percent shooting on 3-pointers, joining Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls) and Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets).

Tyler Herro, Stephen Curry, Zach LaVine and Kevin Durant were the only players this preseason to average 20 or more points on at least 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting on threes. It's only the preseason, but still quite impressive.

— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 16, 2021

Herro, in his third season, averaged a team-high 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in five games. He also shot 51 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line. 

Herro said part of the reason was adding 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason. 

“A lot of hard work this offseason,” Herro said. “And we got a great group of guys feeding life into me.”

Herro appears ready to bounce back from last season when many considered he struggled. Much of that was attributed to nagging injuries but he seems ready for a rebound. 

“We all know how talented (Herro) is," said forward Jimmy Butler, who has served as a mentor for Herro since he entered the league. "Half his battle is in his own head."

The Heat finished 5-1 in the preseason. They open the regular season at home Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks, who eliminated Miami in the first round of the playoffs last year. 

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