Miami Heat's Tyler Herro feels injury derailed his Rookie of the Year chances

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has always played and spoke with confidence.

He recently said he would have been in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race had it not been for a midseason foot injury. Herro felt he was on a pace for a season that would have kept him in the company of Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Heat teammate Kendrick Nunn.

Morant, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, is the favorite to win the award.

"I definitely feel like if it wasn't for that injury, I feel like I would be 1 or 2 in the Rookie of the Year race, so I'm ready to get out there and prove myself again," Herro said in an interview with ESPN.com.

Herro missed 15 games because of the injury. It prevented him from playing in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Chicago in February.

Before the setback, he was averaging 13.1 points, four rebounds and two assists. Herro felt he was in position to increase his production. Momentum was slowed even more when the NBA postponed the season March 11 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Still, Herro is likely to earn a spot on the All-Rookie Team in his first season.

"I would say it went pretty well," Herro said in the interview. "I ended up getting hurt toward the middle of the year. I missed like 15 games, but before that, I felt like I was starting to find my stride, starting to prove myself, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting back."

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