Charles Barkley Explains Why Tyler Herro Isn't On The Same Level As Luka Doncic And Trae Young: "He's Playing Against Backups..."

via USA TODAY Sports

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Tyler Herro has had an outstanding 2021-22 season thus far. He is currently averaging 22.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 4.5 APG. He has been projected by many as a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

There has been a lot of talk about Herro in recent weeks due to his performances, but also because of his bold claim about being on the same level as superstars like Luka Doncic and Trae Young.

Since then, a lot of people have weighed in on the subject, with some former legends such as Shaquille O'Neal agreeing with Herro's statement. However, Charles Barkley disagreed with Tyler Herro's evaluation of himself, citing that the two he mentioned were franchise players, while Herro has been coming off the bench.

That's the difference that I want to make... I like Tyler Herro. I'm a big Tyler Herro fan. Just because they got the same numbers, those guys have to carry a team every night.

Second issue is, he's playing against backups. When you're coming off the bench, you're playing against backups. No disrespect. Herro is a nice little player... He's a fine player. Trying to say you are capable of carrying a team every night, that's a different mentality.

A recent graphic circulated around the internet, showing that Tyler Herro has in fact been putting up similar statistics to Luka Doncic and Trae Young, being even more efficient than the pair. However, as Charles Barkley mentioned, there's a difference between carrying the team as the focal point and being a bench scorer. However, Wes Goldberg pointed out that Herro "often closes games" and "plays plenty against starters".

It remains to be seen if Tyler Herro can eventually be viewed in the same light as Luka Doncic and Trae Young. He's certainly doing well with the opportunity he's being given, and on a lot of other teams, he'd be a starter. 

Hopefully, this improvement from Tyler Herro is here to stay, and he's certainly a very talented player. He's still young too, so there's plenty of time for him to prove that he can potentially be a superstar.