Tyler Herro's future with the Miami Heat is very much in doubt, and, in an unexpected twist, some of that blame could unintentionally fall on Nikola Jovic. Because of Jovic's quick fall from grace, the Heat will likely tighten up in their willingness to hand out contract extensions in the near future.
Herro could be one of the first players who feels the real impact of the team's complete miscalculation with Jovic.
Miami took a big gamble on Jovic's ability to continue to develop into the player many thought he could be. At least up to now, that risk hasn't paid off for the Heat. While it's entirely too early for the Heat to give up on Jovic, that decision is slowly turning into a disaster.
Jovic's new contract hasn't even kicked in, and the young forward has taken a huge step back in his progression. It's not just that Jovic hasn't progressed much individually this season; it's the fact that he's completely fallen out of the Heat's rotation this year.
Tyler Herro could be the biggest Heat loser this offseason
This is the type of perfect storm that could make the Heat rethink their entire offseason plan and overall philosophy as a whole. More specifically, one that could turn them off from even considering signing Herro to an extension this summer.
Especially when it comes to the durability issues, there are some parallels between Jovic and Herro. While Herro is head and shoulders above as an overall player, there are very real questions about his ability to stay healthy.
He's going to play fewer than 50 games this season. Unfortunately, he's played fewer than 50 games in a season twice in the last three years. Over his seven-year career, he's played in 60 games or more in the regular season just three times.
But even beyond the health concerns, there are on-the-floor hesitations that should complicate the decision. When he's healthy, Herro is a very good offensive player. I don't think there are any questions about that.
However, he leaves much to be desired on the defensive end of the floor. And he's too much of a liability on that end to warrant him getting a contract that would automatically make him a foundational building block of the future.
The Heat must be honest with Tyler Herro
For the type of contract that Herro is in line for (worth up to $50 million per year), it's going to be difficult for the Heat to justify such a gamble.
Especially after their faith in Jovic has completely failed this season.
Herro's future is much more complicated than it appears, but, at least at this point, it's hard to envision him getting the early contract extension that he's going to be seeking this summer. While Jovic's disastrous season isn't entirely to blame, it's almost impossible to ignore that it won't play at least a small role in the Heat's ultimate decision on Herro.