Miami Heat's Tyler Herro exceeded all expectations in rookie season

When Tyler Herro was drafted by the Miami Heat last summer, it was met by a few boos and surprised faces from fans gathered at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Almost a year later, Herro has silenced the doubters after putting together one of the best rookie seasons in the 2019 NBA draft class. Herro played well enough to earn a significant jump in Bleacher Report's recent re-draft. Herro, who was chosen at No. 13, moved up to being taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the fifth pick.

"It took him just four games to record a 29-point outburst, and he'd go on nine total 20-point outings," wrote Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley. "That may not sound like a huge number, but remember, he was playing a prominent role for a Miami Heat team jostling for prime real estate in the Eastern Conference standings, not posting empty-calorie numbers on a cellar-dweller."

Herro was averaging 12.9 points, four rebounds and 1.9 assists before the league suspended play March 11 due to the coronavirus situation. He made six starts and felt he was in contention for the Rookie of the Year until sustaining an ankle injury in February that caused him to miss 15 games.

Shoutout to everyone doubting me.
— Tyler Herro (@raf_tyler) November 22, 2017

Still, Herro made a strong impact on a team that was in the upper half of the Eastern Conference before play was halted. It marked the third straight time the Heat made solid choices with a lottery pick. In 2015, they drafted Justise Winslow and selected center Bam Adebayo two years later. Winslow was traded to Memphis three months ago while Adebayo has blossomed into one of the league's top young stars, earning his first All-Star Game berth this season.

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