Truth about Tyler Herro revealed in Heat's shocking loss to Bulls

5 Things U Can Heat

1. 1. The Bulls won't have a player like Giannis in the play-in matchup
2. 2. The lone scorer role leads to erratic shots
3. 3. It's the Wizards and Pelicans
4. 4. Heat advantages versus Bulls
5. 5. Can't stop Giddey

The Heat's Wednesday night battle with the Chicago Bulls was a probable play-in preview. Both teams are already etched into the tournament, but their exact seeding remains in the air. Regardless, there's a ridiculously high chance the dark back alley Heat defense will collide again with the bombs-away AAU-style Bulls offense.

Since last Friday's 5 Things U Can Heat, Miami has had a tit-for-tat battle with one of the league's best individual talents, knocked around the remains of the 76ers, and their loss to the Bulls sealed their fate as the 10th seed. Some head-scratching decisions were made in that one, and we'll tackle that here.

While the regular season comes to a close, matching Giannis Antetokounmpo stride for stride isn't a small feat. I'm not handing Bam Adebayo a moral victory, but it's impressive to play a probable top-three MVP candidate to a draw.

1. The Bulls won't have a player like Giannis in the play-in matchup

Okay, I embellished Bam's play a bit. Bam didn't play Giannis to a draw last Saturday. As the stakes rose in the second half, it was clear who the MVP candidate was. Giannis scored 24 points in the second half and helped limit Bam to eight points.

That won't stop me from acknowledging these slick moves on the Greek Freak and Bam's overall performance offensively.

Bam got Giannis out of his socks here. If he plays with this same touch, maybe, just maybe, he can dominate the thin Bulls frontcourt and give the Heat a shot at the eighth seed (is that ideal?).

These shots take you back to the early portion of the season. Luka Dončić getting traded may be the NBA's biggest mystery this season, but in Heat Nation, Bam's jumper evaporating is still the biggest mystery.

Bam has been shooting 47 percent on jump shots since Jan. 27. That's six percentages higher than his full-season numbers, per PivotFade. These jumpers are falling as of late, but they still aren't the high percentage looks good offenses want to generate.

If the Heat's team building were correct, this wouldn't be a big concern because Bam is ideally a third-scoring option on a title contender. His jump shooting and scoring would be a bonus, with his carry-the-load defense providing the majority of his value. The conversation around what type of option he and his All-Star teammate are has reared its head again after an attempted kill shot.

2. The lone scorer role leads to erratic shots

Basketball is a game of reading and reacting. Coaches can put you in a position to thrive, but natural inclinations take over a lot of time.

Tyler Herro had another hero moment. He was the driving force offensively (like always) versus the Bulls and got it going with a late three.

Being the confident shooter he is, after getting a head-on takeaway, he fires a three-pointer with no one between him and the hoop. Not a teammate, not an opponent, not a referee, nobody was in his way to prevent him from cutting the five-point lead to three.

Herro, being boy wonder, figured, "Hey, we're going to need a three eventually, and I feel hot now, let's fire it now." He missed that three, and now the cannon takes pop off again. "Herro is a bone head," "What a dumb shot," "Go for the two," "Herro is overconfident." It's not out of bounds to question the decision at that moment, but I'd like everyone to acknowledge that context.

The Heat were playing in a "big time" game that would determine the NINTH seed. This game wasn't the NBA Finals. On the other hand, I get the saying, "How you do everything is how you do everything." That quote would lend to Herro taking that transition three even on a good Heat team.

But the Heat are good when Herro is playing off another major scorer/player. His ballsy bravado is better suited playing with a lead guy who'd be first on the opposing team's scouting report.

All season, I've said Herro is better suited as an off-guard. This lead guard role pigeonholes him into a decision-making role that rub up against his scoring inclinations. He probably takes that three even if a better scorer is by his side, but being the first option and the only player who had it going is the recipe for hero ball.

It's not a guarantee that the Heat win that game if he lays the ball up as he should've. With that Heat loss, Miami has to consider these options as they are essentially locked in at the 10th seed.

3. It's the Wizards and Pelicans

All U Can Heat editor Wes Goldberg presented a double entendre option for the season's last two games: sit the starters for rest purposes if you really want to go all in on snagging the eighth seed. That plan could lead to better draft odds if the Heat drop both games and miss the playoffs entirely.

Miami would never want tanking attached to their names, and this option also comes with the "we're just trying to get healthy to win" caveat baked in.

Sitting Herro, Bam, and the often banged-up Andrew Wiggins would offer more minutes to Kel'el Ware and friends. Ware has been playing good NBA ball for a while now — he'll likely earn an All-Rookie spot. The absences of the aforementioned Heat starters would also give Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson a chance to rock out against two team with draft aspirations. The Wizards and Pelicans lineups could be good comp for the Heat's young pieces.

It's hard to gauge April basketball from non-competitive teams. Random guys catch fire late in the season annually and don't recapture that moment the next year. This Heat season has been just about everything but fun. The 10-game losing streak followed by a six-game winning streak was enough to get our hopes up, but Josh Giddey and the Bulls smacked us back into reality. This up-and-down team hasn't been good or fun all year.

Watching Christopher, Johnson, and Ware these last three games would at least offer a different perspective. It'd be fun in my book because Christopher has always been an exciting three-level scorer, which I've rooted for since his popular YouTube days. Seeing Ware as the vocal point would be a change of pace. That won't be his long-term role, but reps doing out-of-role things can give players an extra tool in the box when they're back in their true role (though April basketball can be murky).

Josh Giddey is seemingly playing more than the role he's had in the past would suggest, especially against the Heat. We can suggest that the Heat should not take the play-in seriously and aim for a draft pick, but that's a pipe dream. Let's look at the pros and cons of a potential Heat-Bulls play-in matchup.

4. Heat advantages versus Bulls

Seeing how the Bulls swept the Heat 3-0 this season, one could argue there are no advantages. The Bulls routinely beat the Heatles in the regular season just for LeBron James to put the cuffs on Derrick Rose when it really mattered.

That's a totally different scenario. LeBron James isn't walking through that door, and the play-in offers a unique one-game elimination March Madness feeling.

The experience of pressure games is in the Heat's favor. They've been in the play-in for three straight years now and made the playoffs in the previous two stops. Erik Spoelstra gets his team ready to roll in these high-stakes games. The Heat sent Billy Donovan and the Bulls home in the 2023 and 2024 play-in tournament. Spo outcoached him with zones but also had more talent.

Zones, ball pressure, and the greatness of Bam Adebayo have the Heat near a top-10 defense once again. He and Ware have an 111.5 defensive rating while sharing the court, which would be good enough for fifth in the league throwing out garbage time. The offense isn't the pretty girl you crush on, but the Heat still find a way to crush most offenses without the ideal roster to do so.

On paper, top-end talent should be an advantage for Miami. Adebayo and Herro are the most recent All-Stars among the two teams. But that's why we play the games. Giddey has been a big guard prodigy in the second half of the season and turns into what fellow Australian point guard Ben Simmons was supposed to be when Giddey faces the Heat.

5. Can't stop Giddey

Not only has Giddey scored at least 20 points in every Heat matchup, but the man averaged a triple-double in the three games.

Miami puts miniature guards on him, and he puts his head down like he's at the alter, barreling his way to the basket. He's also shooting a laser focus 53 percent from deep. That's how the Bulls operate as a team — they have no qualms about firing from wherever.

Chicago is third in three-point frequency compared to Mimai's 11th ranking. If this game turns into a math problem, the Bulls are more likely to fire up more triples. Another offensive Bulls advantage is their overall firepower. The names on the roster may not jump off the page, but Coby White, Nikola Vučević, and Giddey are willing the Bulls to the sixth in points per game. They get up buckets with the best of them.

Two contrasting styles will likely collide in the Eastern Conference 9-10 play-in matchup. The Bulls get up and down while the Heat brings a methodical knifing defensive approach. Herro is Miami's gunslinger, while everybody on the Bulls is one. This will be a one-and-done, lose and you're out. Looking ahead to the future of the Heat, losing out wouldn't be the worst result if their chances at a top pick doubled.

Stats as of 04/10/2025 via PivotFade, NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Cleaning The Glass, and PBP Stats.