Pros and cons of Heat starting Duncan Robinson over Tyler Herro
By Brennan Sims
Cons
It's easy to preach "team first and put yourself second." But at the end of the day, these guys are human, and egos are involved. Tyler Herro is still proving to fanbases and the media how valuable he is. In his mind, coming off the bench again confirms the doubt that he is not good enough to be an NBA starter. Could it hurt the team's morale if Herro is devastated about coming off the bench?
It's understandable why a young blossoming star doesn't want to be relegated to a sixth-man role again (he was 6MOY in 2022), but that's what's best for this edition of the Heat. He and Butler have never been a perfect fit. Both thrive with the ball in their hands, even though Herro could easily play a movement shooter role like Robinson with his skillset.
The problem is that Herro has more to offer than Robinson off the bounce. His handle isn't elite, but it's good enough to get to his spots and cash tough jumpers. He is a good passer out of the pick-and-roll, but he isn't a hot potato passer like Robinson. He's not consistently making the extra pass.
The attributes are best suited to come off the bench while Robinson starts and moves around, freeing up everybody. Newly acquired guard Terry Rozier could be designated to a bench role for Robinson, but he should remain the starting point guard to get the most juice from this roster.
Rozier has already discussed sacrificing and putting the team before himself. He's been a starter since 2020, and coming off the bench would be a tough pill to swallow (maybe not according to his sacrifice speech). But he should be the starting point guard, egos aside.
Among these three potential Heat starting guards, Rozier provides the most rim pressure. He doesn't always get to the rim, and he doesn't convert there at a high clip, but Rozier's unpredictable game keeps defenses guessing. They don't know if he'll stop on a dime and take a spinning jumper, attack the rim with a Rondo-like wrong-foot layup, or throw a nifty dime to cutters. Rozier is also the best passer in the group -- his 5.6 assists per game is impressive when you factor in his role change in the middle of the season.