Ex-NBA star stunned at Tyler Herro being put below Cooper Flagg, Alex Caruso

ESPN’s list of its top 100 players in the NBA ahead of the 2025-26 campaign has been released in full after the results of the top 10 were revealed just recently. However, there are plenty of people who have taken issue with where some players ended up being ranked, and Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is one person who has an argument for being higher up on the list.

Herro ended up at the No. 68 spot behind the likes of Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, who has yet to make his NBA debut, and Oklahoma City Thunder defensive ace Alex Caruso, who is known as a role player. Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague had a strong reaction to Herro’s ranking.

It’s very possible that Flagg will be a better player than Herro sooner or later, but it’s probably too early to put him ahead of someone who’s already established himself as an All-Star caliber player. Herro was the only member of the Heat to be named an All-Star during what was a trying 2024-25 campaign, and he served as Miami’s offensive hub.

As for Caruso, he may have a stronger case for being above Herro than Flagg does, as he just recently played the role of an instrumental bench contributor for a title team. But the argument for him ahead of Herro may fall flat when considering that Caruso has never been nearly as effective an offensive player as the former University of Kentucky standout was last season.

As a counterargument, one could say the same thing about Herro’s and Caruso’s defensive plays, but scoring typically leads to stardom in the NBA before strong defense does.

Ultimately, it’s hard to believe there are 67 players in the NBA better than Herro, and hopefully for Miami, he will use his low ranking as motivation to play the best basketball of his pro career in the 2025-26 campaign. Maybe there’s still another level he can reach as a player, as he’s only 25 years old.