These 3 Heat stars laid the blueprint for the post-Butler era

Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins left their imprints all over the Heat’s recent play-in win.
Miami Heat v Chicago Bulls - Play-In Tournament
Miami Heat v Chicago Bulls - Play-In Tournament | Justin Casterline/GettyImages

The Miami Heat stormed into United Center to upset the Chicago Bulls thanks to several elite performances. Herro’s masterful 38-point effort is what really set the tone, but he got much-needed help from his co-stars. 

Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins’ stats from the win don’t jump out like Herro’s scoring explosion, but they were both impactful on both ends of the floor from start to finish. 

Their two-way efforts led to a pair of steals from Adebayo, along with Wiggins’ two steals and two blocks.

It seemed like Wiggins was active on every single defensive possession. He stayed aggressive on the ball, and the huge victory showcased the true potential of this re-tooled Heat lineup -- as long as their three stars are healthy and effective.

Herro, Adebayo and Wiggins outscored the Bulls by 52 points in their combined minutes.

Ultimately, the product that Heat Nation saw on Wednesday is a blueprint of what this current roster needs on a nightly basis to stay competitive. Herro as the leading man offensively while getting efficient supplemental contributions from Adebayo and Wiggins is the way. 

It is still too early to truly decipher if Herro can maintain this level of production on a playoff stage consistently. However, his growth has trended in that direction. 

The 25 year-old combo guard has all the necessary talent and tools to emerge as a reliable top scoring option for Miami. 

His development has led to his first-ever All-Star appearance this season, and he is far from done. Herro has flashed this type of potential since his rookie year. The only asterisk was health. Then he appeared in 77 of the 82 regular-season games this season.

When it comes to getting wins, especially come play-in and potential postseason time, he will need help. Having those types of contributions from Adebayo and Wiggins behind Herro will only make the Heat harder to beat. 

It makes it easier for everyone else involved to play more of a role, which is what the Heat got from pieces like Davion Mitchell off the bench in Chicago.

Now the focus shifts to the Atlanta Hawks on the road, as Miami could become the first 10th seed in history to advance from the play-in and into the NBA playoffs.

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