Tyler Herro is set to return within the next two weeks, and as soon as he does, the Miami Heat are going to get a brutal reality check about their future. They're quickly going to find out that this roster's, and perhaps even this core's, ceiling is way too limited.
What it will push them to do next is anyone's guess, but the Heat will get some much-needed clarity as they explore what should come next for the franchise.
Interestingly enough, this is a realization that many in the fan base already have. But it's something that the front office needs to see play out. And you can't really blame them for that. After all, that's their primary job.
This is not to say that Herro won't help this team when he returns; he will. However, for anyone believing that Herro is going to elevate this team to completely new heights in the Eastern Conference is off base.
Tyler Herro will give the Heat a boost
How much higher could the Heat's offensive ceiling be if they're already averaging roughly 125 points per game every night? It's hard to imagine there's much more room for improvement on that end of the floor. Sure, I suppose they can be much more efficient, but it's not like this team's current problem is offensively. It's not.
The reason for the Heat's recent slide over the last few games revolves around the loss of Bam Adebayo. Specifically over the last three games, the Heat has felt the brunt of that absence. And there's no recovering from missing that type of player.
For as good as Herro is on the offensive end of the floor, he's not going to help the defense any. And that's the biggest reason it would be foolish to expect this team's ceiling to rise all that much, even when Herro is back.
More than anything, the front office is going to quickly realize that they need to make a move for a superstar player, one who can tangibly raise this team's ceiling. No offense to Herro.
Even without Herro in the lineup this season, the Heat, at best, has looked like a frisky Eastern Conference team that will likely have to play their way into the final playoff bracket (via the Play-In Tournament). That's probably not changing much, even with Herro on the floor for the Heat.
That's where it appears this is all heading. For the sake of the Heat's future, maybe Herro proves this assessment wrong. And maybe he does tangibly raise the ceiling for the Heat, but it's unlikely that it happens. Herro is who he is at this point in his career. He's a really good player, but not a great one who changes the culture of a team. And that's perfectly OK, but it's not what the Heat "needs" right now.
What's most likely is that Herro is going to make a return to the lineup, and this front office is going to quickly realize that the idea of this roster together is much better than the reality of it. And in a "gap" year, that's what this season was all about.