The Miami Heat will go as far as four guys can take them this season. They are Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry, of course.
However, that fourth dude has proven to be Tyler Herro. Still their fourth-best player, he’s emerged as their number two option, with those two being two different things.
While he is still the fourth-best overall ballplayer on the team, when it comes to getting a bucket, Jimmy Butler is the only other guy on the team you trust more to get that done for you than Tyler. Speaking of “getting a bucket” though, Tyler Herro has struggled, a bit, across his last few games.
One of, if not the very best, bench scorers in the game this year, he hasn’t been his same explosive or efficient self in the last seven games. That, specifically, coincides with a two-game absence due to a non-covid illness, one that started in the first game against the Chicago Bulls.
The Miami Heat rely on Tyler Herro’s offense this year and will continue to. He hasn’t been himself in the last few games, but he deserves a grace period.
Even still though and indicative of the high bar that he’s set for himself this season, he has still proceeded to score nine or more points in all seven of those contests, with that “nine points” being his fewest scored across the sequence.
Still averaging nearly 17 points (16.5) per game across that span and on just over 40 percent shooting from the floor, he hasn’t totally bottomed out, he just hasn’t been the same electric guy that he had been for much of the season prior to these last seven games.
Mind you, his season averages are nearly 21 points (20.7), 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, so he’s not that far off, but he’s not as good as he can be or as good as the Miami Heat need him to be right now. That goes double without Bam and Jimmy in the lineup.
It all boils back down to this though. Yes, he needs to be better than he has been in his last seven contests but he, absolutely, deserves no blame or criticism yet either.
By now, most of you should know how that goes. If it went the way of most opinions, he’d be having this great year in Houston or Cleveland right now— right?
The guy has been great and you need that to continue, but he’s still only 21 and in his third NBA season. He hasn’t been himself, agreed and admittedly.
However, he still deserves a ton of grace. So— give it to him.