NBA Rumors: Miami Heat's Herro Needs To Prove Worth, Get Over 'Sophomore Jinx'

KEY POINTS

Heat president Pat Riley is not giving up on Tyler Herro, whom he said remains vital for the franchise
Bam Adebayo hinted that Herro's work ethic needs to improve
Herro needs to recall his old form to prove that he is no first-year fluke

Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat rose to prominence in his rookie year during the 2019-20 NBA season. But hoop fans were disappointed with his showing in his second season, with most believing that the Wisconsin native fell prey to the sophomore jinx.

This lead to speculation that the 21-year-old guard’s first season in the NBA may have been a fluke. His name was drawn into potential NBA trade scenarios, but nothing materialized.

The Herro trade rumors are expected to carry on until he can recall his old form, but it appears Miami Heat president Pat Riley is keeping the faith.

Riley recently said he still considers Herro a vital part of the Miami Heat, calling him a core player. According to the 76-year-old NBA executive, the 6-foot-5 player’s second season may have been a case of the sophomore jinx.

“He’s a core player,” Riley said when he spoke to Manny Navarro of The Athletic. “That’s all there is to it. . . . Tyler Herro is a core player for us. Maybe he had a sophomore jinx or whatever.”

Riley is just one of many who observed the dip in Herro’s performance. Teammate Bam Adebayo also noticed it and threw some shade when he spoke to reporters (via Brendan Tobin on Twitter) about how his teammate could make it to Team USA in July.

“He’ll get the chance to go against the best in the U.S.A.,” Adebayo said. “So I feel like that’s one of the biggest things that he can get. And obviously, getting to watch, like, people’s work ethic and how they go about their professional business.”

Bam Adebayo on how Tyler Herro can benefit from being on Team USA Select team: going against the best players…getting to watch their work ethic and how they go about their business pic.twitter.com/daH9YGDVGH
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) July 1, 2021

The key there is the “work ethic” that goes along with the concerns over the maturity of Herro. It was not mentioned, but he could be referring to Herro reportedly spending a lot of time with models, getting strange tattoos and getting embroiled in love triangles—all of which had gone viral on social media.

Hence, Herro may be in for a critical season with the Heat. It will be his third year as a pro, and most are expecting him to recall his old form and churn out a better year. If he continues to struggle, expect the NBA trade rumor mill to buzz once again this 2021-22 season.