This season, Tyler Herro will aim to get the Miami Heat back in a position to contend in the Eastern Conference. Before the action gets underway, the former Sixth Man of the Year (2022) made a bold claim about him and his backcourt mate.

Midway through the 2023-24 campaign, the Heat made a trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire Terry Rozier. Injuries limited the amount of time the two spent on the floor together, but they are ready to prove their critics wrong in 2025.

During a recent interview with “Bally Sports Sun,” Tyler Herro opened up on him and Rozier as a guard duo. He claimed both of them are capable of being one of the top backcourt pairings in the NBA.

“We’re excited to play together to prove people wrong,” Herro said. “They really don’t think the backcourt of us two can work. We both believe we’re one of the best backcourts in the league.”

The two leave a lot to be desired defensively, but both are capable of putting up big numbers on the offensive end. Last season, Herro averaged career-highs in points (20.8) and assists (4.5). As for Rozier, he averaged 19.8 points for the Hornets and Heat while dishing out 5.6 assists a night.

Can Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier actually be a top backcourt in the NBA?

With guard play being so prominent in the NBA, Tyler Herro is making a bold claim for himself and Terry Rozier. For them to live up to this statement, they’ll need to outperform an array of talented guard duos.

Starting in their own conference, the teams with the top backcourts are the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are elite defensively, and both are capable of putting up big numbers on offense. As for the Cavs, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are a pair of former All-Stars who are extremely talented.

Moving to the Western Conference, the standard-bearers for backcourt duos are Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Dallas Mavericks have arguably the best guard pairing in the league with their two dynamic stars.

Another team to watch is the Memphis Grizzlies. With Ja Morant returning this season, he and Desmond Bane will be looking to re-enter the conversation for the NBA’s best backcourt.

The key for Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier silencing their critics will be their work on defense. They’ve shown they can put up points against the best teams. However, that doesn’t mean much if they come right down and give up points on the other end.

With many good guard pairings ahead of them, Herro and Rozier could have a tall task trying to assert themselves as one of the best. That said, with their skill sets, they have a chance to emerge as an underrated backcourt in the NBA.