The Miami Heat had been quietly riding high after a sneaky-good run through the 2025 NBA offseason. Their Norman Powell pickup was equal parts brilliant and mind-bogglingly cheap, their draft-night investment in No. 20 pick Kasparas Jakucionis still has major steal potential (shaky summer aside), and they may not miss Duncan Robinson as much as expected if Simone Fontecchio shoots like he did overseas.
On Friday, though, everything came to a screeching halt, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that Heat All-Star guard Tyler Herro is undergoing surgery on his left foot/ankle. While no timetable has been offered as of yet, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press opined that Herro could be sidelined for a couple of months and miss the first month of the regular season.
While Herro might be polarizing as an extension candidate, his on-court presence is vital to this club. With the Heat staring at an indefinite stretch without him, there's a real risk of this season being lost before it even started.
Miami's offensive problems will be compounded by Herro's absence.
Under head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Heat have long buttered their bread on the defensive end of the court. Their man-to-man defense is relentless, their zone defense is swarming, and their interior anchor, Bam Adebayo, just might be the Association's most versatile stopper.
Yet, it'll take a lot more than good defense for Miami to make noise, even in a weakened Eastern Conference. The Heat had a top-10 defense last season, per NBA.com, and they still couldn't manage better than a 37-45 record and a swift departure from the postseason's opening round.
That's why calls were already coming for Spo to put a heavier priority on offense this season. While that was always going to be challenging with the makeup of this roster, the difficulty level just ramped all the way up with news of Herro's surgery.
He may have flaws in his game, but he's a legitimate offensive star. Last season, he paced the Heat in points (23.9), assists (5.5), and three-pointers (3.3). He is their best quantity-plus-quality shooter, and their best off-the-dribble creator, and their most potent playmaker.
While the Heat will have to look in-house for his replacement, the sobering truth is they don't have anyone capable of doing all that he does.
Powell can help with the scoring and finishing, but he seldom creates for others. Adebayo will hopefully be more assertive, but his offensive range is limited, and he's had trouble holding his scoring average north of 20. Davion Mitchell has a chance to replicate his offensive surge following his deadline arrival, but he was basically an offensive afterthought for the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career.
If there's a silver lining here, it's that a month-ish absence from Herro shouldn't fully prevent Miami from keeping up in what looks like a wide-open race in the East. That said, there's no telling if that's actually the amount of time Herro will miss, and no guarantee he'll be as effective as he was last season upon his return.
This is, frankly, a brutal development, and the timing only adds to the sting. Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery for Herro, because the Heat just aren't built to function offensively for long stretches without him.