Milwaukee Bucks preparing to face off with Wisconsin natives Tyler Herro and Tyrese Haliburton, whose stars remain ascendant

Tyler Herro has a (literal) new home and Tyrese Haliburton has a new role as one of the premier point guards in the league. The graduates of Whitnall High School and Oshkosh North, respectively, have rapidly become two household names in the NBA, and they're still just getting started.

The Bucks will be in Miami on Thursday and Saturday to face the Heat, for whom Herro scores more than 21 points per game. Milwaukee then returns home for a Monday afternoon game against the Indiana Pacers, for whom Haliburton also exceeds 20 points per game and has become a bona fide candidate to make the NBA all-star game.

Voting for the all-star game ends Jan. 21, with roster announcements expected in late January or early February. The game will take place in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19.

Tyler Herro has new mansion with second child on the way

Herro entered Wednesday scoring 21.2 points per game, just behind Marquette University alumnus Jimmy Butler (22.1 ppg) and Herro's fellow University of Kentucky alumnus Bam Adebayo (21.4), for the team lead. Herro also brings in 6.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year won't repeat in that department; he's started all 32 games in which he's appeared.

Herro, 23, is about to be a dad for the second time and just bought a Miami mansion for a reported $10.5 million. Herro signed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Heat in October, and the 9,505-square-foot house is in the upscale Kendall adjacent neighborhood. Herro and girlfriend Katya Elise Henry welcomed their first child, daughter Zya, in September 2021.

It's unclear if Herro will get a chance to face his hometown team this time around; he suffered an ankle injury agianst Brooklyn on Jan. 8 and missed the team's game against Oklahoma City on Jan. 10. Adebayo and guard Kyle Lowry have also been nursing injuries for Miami.

Against Utah on New Year's Eve, Herro hit a running buzzer beater to beat the Utah Jazz.

Herro's rookie year:Miami is the perfect fit for the former Whitnall star

Nickel column on Herro:Tyler Herro's parents have always had the faith

Tyrese Haliburton is on the path to an all-star nod

Haliburton, 22, has meanwhile seen his game reach a new level in his second year with the Indiana Pacers, a team that counts among the league's biggest surprises with a winning record (23-18) heading into Wednesday. He's scoring 20.3 points per game but, more importantly, leads the league with 10.3 assists per game, not to mention 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest. He's started all 39 games in which he's appeared this year and shoots 40% from 3-point range.

Will Haliburton get selected for the all-star game? He's delivered a good enough showing in 2022-23 to be heavily considered, though MSG Network's Wally Szczerbiak controversially suggested Haliburton didn't deserve the honor over a couple Knicks players. NBA.com just conducted a midseason poll that identified Haliburton as the league's most underrated player.

Haliburton has monster game, hits winning shot vs. Heat

And how about this? On Dec. 23, Herro and Haliburton squared off head-to-head, with Haliburton drilling a game-winning 3-pointer with four seconds left, giving him a career-best 43 points in the game and leading his team to a 111-108 victory. Herro's own 3-pointer from midcourt was no good. Herro briefly guarded Haliburton just before the winner, Haliburton's 10th 3-pointer in the game to set a franchise record.

Herro and Haliburton both graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 2018; oddly enough, neither was named the state's Mr. Basketball, with that honor going to two-time state champion Jordan McCabe of Kaukauna.

"In less than a year, he has completely changed the trajectory of our franchise … Nights like tonight show the type of great young player he is," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle two nights earlier, when Haliburton scored 33 points to lead the Pacers past Boston. "Tonight was a night we needed scoring from him. In the biggest moments he found a way to get the ball in the basket, or find guys. … He is an amazing young player, amazing young man. He's our All-Star."

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks to face still-rising Wisconsinites Herro, Haliburton