“Somebody Very Special in Him”: Miami Heat President in Awe of Tyler Herro’s Dazzling Rise

The young core of the Miami Heat will probably one day lead the team to a title. Most expected the Heat to stay away from contention for a few more years in the post-Big-3 era. But president Pat Riley has assembled another title-contending team in just six years.

Riley believes that the young stars on his roster are just scratching the surface of their potential after the 2020 Finals run. He had nothing but praise for the 20-year-old Tyler Herro in a recent media briefing.

“His [Tyler Herro] improvement, I think, will even go to another level as he gets older. He just turned 20, my gosh. He had a great year. We knew he could shoot the ball. We knew he was competitive. In doing all the interviews and talking to all the people that knew him, we felt that he was a great choice… All our scouts, they were unanimous on picking him.

“Herro grew through listening and he grew through the mentorship of Udonis Haslem, Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic… All of these veterans took him under their wing because they saw something special there.

“He got better not just as a shooter, but as a shotmaker. He got better in handling the ball…. He’s a very, very efficient offensive player. He got better as a playmaker. His vision — he started to see other plays because he could take it to the rack. He’s a great kid. He works hard and we have somebody very special in him.”

As Riley mentioned, Herro is just 20 years old, yet he played like a well-polished veteran in the playoffs. He has the talent and work ethic to become a terrific player in the league one day. But can he lead them to a title?

Can the Miami Heat win a championship behind their young core?

Looking at the young core of the Miami Heat, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson are just starting to reach their full potential. With the 2020 postseason run on the books, it will help the players grow even further.

As of now, they have a two-way superstar in Jimmy Butler, who is a brilliant leader. If this team stays together for the next two or three seasons, they would clinch the NBA title. But it all depends on how good the young core becomes in the coming seasons.