It’s been a tumultuous time to be a Miami Heat fan in recent weeks. Ever since Shams played Grinch on Christmas in announcing that the Heat was listening to trade offers for Jimmy Butler, things have gone off the rails. So here we are anticipating a Jimmy trade any day now while he serves a seven-game suspension, and looking at a new era in Heat basketball.
Fans might be wondering who the next star face of the franchise should be. And I’d argue that the Heat’s two-headed monster of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo are already serving that role, and will be the personalities that Heat marketing leads on moving forward. Even if Saturday’s loss against the Utah Jazz might say otherwise.
Tyler Time:
Tyler should easily be the consensus pick for MIP this season (he’s currently the favorite in betting markets) and he is straight-up balling. Tyler did real work this summer in cleaning up his shot profile, and it's paying real dividends. Tyler is also coming into his own as a clutch player, he wants to take that shot and he’s shown that he can make it - now with Jimmy out of the picture he’ll be that go-to guy.
The other factor that has surprised people given his age is Tyler’s maturity. He has been nothing but classy during this Jimmy fiasco, and a consummate professional even with his name in trade rumors for the last six seasons. Tyler’s work ethic is commendable, which isn’t necessarily surprising from a guy with “No work, no check.” tatted on him.
He’s growing into a leader, and now has a new burden as one of the faces of the franchise. At this point it's not a question of whether he’ll grab the baton, it’s a question of how far can he take it. Heat fans are itching to find out.
Will the real Bam please stand up? Or at least score some buckets:
The Bam Adebayo experience has been something of a rollercoaster ride this season. After an impressive Olympic campaign where Bam added three point range, many expected a Bam this season that resembled Chris Bosh. Instead, Bam is averaging his lowest PPG since his third season and when he’s not scoring, he’s really not scoring (see Saturday’s game vs Utah where he didn’t score a field goal).
I know what you’re thinking: “It sounds like this guy sucks.” But no! Bam not only doesn’t suck - he’s one of the best players in basketball, just on the defensive end. Referencing Center’s Culture Defensive Hustle Statistics, Bam ranks in the 93rd percentile in steals per game, the 90th for steals and blocks, the 97th for deflections, and the 93rd for opponent rim field goal attempts. The only area where he leaves anything to be desired is in blocks, and he’s never been a shot-blocking big man.
Bam’s offensive numbers are not even worlds apart from where they were last year, he’ll find his touch - I don’t even think that’s something we should be overly concerned about. With that being said this is a problem that can easily be rectified with a true point guard. Bam spends so much time creating field goal attempts for himself (6.5 attempts this season and over 7 last season). He did not need to do that with Dragic, or even Lowry (when Lowry played floor general in 2021). It would also be great to see some true pick-and-pop action, without Bam having to resort to his mid-range bunny every second possession.
As captain of the team, there’s a lot of pressure on Bam and that’s the way it should be. He is UD’s successor in being the keeper of Heat culture, and I’d personally like to see him become more vocal as he grows into that role. He is a star, but there’s no doubt that he can shine a lot brighter.
But what if the Heat get a new star?
It’s frustrating because if you combined Bam and Herro’s talents you’d get an NBA All-Time great. But in the meantime, they are the two stars. But what if that doesn’t last? It’s a good point. The Heat are always in rumors to secure new talent, but right now it's a question of who they can get and who will move the needle. Some names are certainly tantalizing from De’Aaron Fox, and Michael Porter Jr. to Brandon Ingram, Jalen Green, and Zion Williamson.
I’d argue that any of those players being developed by the Heat could become a real superstar. Hypotheticals are tough, especially given the noise but the prospect of a new star in Miami is still exciting. It’s just tough that it comes at the expense of a divorce with one of the franchise’s best-ever.