Heat's Tyler Herro: 'I Have the Potential to Be the Best Scorer in the NBA'

Having previously admitted to feeling the weight of this offseason's trade rumors and speculation, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro certainly isn't lacking confidence going into his fifth NBA season.

Speaking to The Ringer's Wes Goldberg, Herro called himself "one of the best young scorers in the league" with the "potential to be the best scorer in the NBA at some point."

Earlier this week, in a piece by The Athletic's William Guillory, Herro called it "tough" going through the summer not knowing where he was going to be playing because the Heat were so often linked to Damian Lillard in trade rumors.

When Lillard wound up getting dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks, Herro joked he was safe from trade rumors until next summer.

One potential reason Herro didn't get traded for Lillard is because the Portland Trail Blazers weren't interested in him as part of the return, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Some of that lack of interest is because the Blazers already have a surplus of young guards on the roster with rookie Scoot Henderson joining Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe.

Herro has also been a limited player on the court through his first four seasons. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, with one scout recently telling Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix the 23-year-old is a "complete liability" on that end of the floor.

While being the best scorer in the league at some point is probably a stretch, Herro does have a skill set that could get him in the conversation. The same scout who ripped his defense told Mannix that Herro is a "very good scorer that can play in pick-and-roll" offenses.

Herro has averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the past two seasons. He's a 38.3 percent three-point shooter in 242 career games and led the league with a 93.4 percent free-throw percentage last season.

If Herro is the No. 1 option, it's hard to fathom that the team would be very good based on what we've seen from him so far. But he's still young enough that there could be more upside to unlock as he gets closer to his physical peak.

The Heat saw enough in Herro to give him a four-year, $120 million contract extension prior to the start of last season. If he can become a go-to scoring option for them in 2023-24, they will be a big factor in a loaded Eastern Conference.