Heat guard Tyler Herro wanted to remind fans that he is the rare player who starts his game when the lights are brightest.
Much of the Miami Heat’s 2023 season has been spent considering acquiring Damian Lillard.
After all, the addition of Lillard to a team that just made it to the NBA Finals with a core of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could have done wonders for their chances of overcoming the odds and winning a championship.
But now that the dust has settled and with Lillard now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise, the Heat will have to deal with what they currently have on the roster.
That might not be a bad thing, though, especially with Tyler Herro back healthy after a hand injury that kept him out for much of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Herro, in a interview with NBA.com’s Couper Moorhead, wanted to remind fans that he’s the rare player who starts his game when the lights are on.
“I would definitely tell the guys that didn’t think I could play in the playoffs.
I was 18-19 in the bubble and I was the third best player on our team in the bubble as a rookie in the playoffs,” Herro said.
“I know I can play in the playoffs, but at the end of the day the most important thing is to get that opportunity.
However, this opportunity did not appear last year.
Tyler Herro broke his hand in Game 1 of the Heat’s first round against the Bucks, missing the remainder of the playoffs.
But Herro knows he could have done a lot of damage and perhaps made the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets more competitive had he been healthy.
“Last year I felt like I had this [opportunity] and obviously I injured my hand.
I was really heartbroken because I was about to have a big playoff run and then this happened,” Herro added.
Remaining with the Heat despite his involvement in trade talks with Damian Lillard, Tyler Herro could be in for a big season, especially since the Heat’s backcourt is so thin following the departure of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, as well as the pursuit of Kyle Lowry.
the war against Father Time.
And it looks like he’ll be ready to go, especially once the game actually starts.