Tyler Herro, Heat Agree to Rookie Contract Amid Strong NBA Summer League Run

Tyler Herro agreed to a deal with the Miami Heat on Wednesday after being taken 13th overall in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20, the team announced.

Herro is coming off a solid one-and-done performance at Kentucky that helped guide the Wildcats to the Elite Eight, averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game as a freshman. That strong campaign led him to being named the SEC Newcomer of the Year.

The 6'5" guard shot 46.2 percent from the floor overall, including a respectable 35.5 percent from three-point range, and 93.5 percent from the line. 

Herro's ability to shoot the basketball is what stood out to Heat president Pat Riley and Co. Riley expressed as much on June 21, per the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang:

"The fact that he's a sticker and a great free-throw shooting is just part of his game. We do feel like there's an upside to him that can make him even more complete once he gets more opportunities in those situations. I think the way we develop players here, especially [Erik Spoelstra] and the staff, that we made a great pick today and so we're excited about it. He fills a void and we feel, or I do, that he has an opportunity to play immediately for us. It's going to be up to him. It will take a lot of hard work, but I've never met a more enthusiastic guy."

Not only that, but according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman, Riley believes the former Wildcat star can become an All-Star while playing for coach Erik Spoelstra.

Spoelstra, per David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, noted that Herro's "ability to handle the ball, to make plays off the dribble" made the guard much more than just a shooter.

Being drafted by Miami brings Herro's basketball experience full circle. He told Furones that he grew up a fan of Miami's 2006 championship squad. In fact, he even had a Heat jersey as a child:

Now, he has one with his name on the back.