The Miami Heat are up 1-0 in their current playoffs series against the New York Knicks, and the rest of the NBA is still marveling at their complete dismantling of the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1.
Though the Heat are without talented youngster Tyler Herro, numerous executives around the league don’t believe the Heat miss the guard as much as many thought they would.
“I’ve heard from a number of executives around the league saying, ‘I don’t think the Heat miss Tyler Herro as much as people thought they were going to miss Tyler Herro,'” insider Zach Lowe said.
Herro broke two fingers on his right hand in Game 1 versus the Bucks. He is expected to be out for the rest of the Heat’s playoff run unless they manage to advance all the way to the 2023 NBA Finals.
Though there is some truth to the idea that Herro not being on the floor helps Miami on the defensive side of things, there is no doubt that his absence could end up hurting the team offensively.
Herro hasn’t had really strong playoff run since he impressed a lot of critics around the NBA in his rookie year, but he was off to a really strong start in Game 1 versus the Bucks.
Despite playing just 19 minutes in Game 1 before leaving with the injury, Herro managed to record 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a block. It’s a real shame that his playoff run got cut short so quickly.
Despite that, he is surely thrilled to see what the Heat have managed to accomplish since his absence began. The Heat have won five of their six playoff games so far and have reminded the entire basketball world that they remain one of the toughest outs in the NBA once the playoffs get underway.
Still, they have relied heavily on superstar Jimmy Butler, but he can’t be expected to put in historic performances on a nightly basis. The current question marks around his health after twisting his ankle in Game 1 are a stark reminder of that fact and of Herro’s absence.
If Herro were healthy, Butler’s potential absence in Game 2 would be a little less scary.
Now, Heat fans will have to wait and hope that Butler is good to go. If he has to miss Game 2, someone else will have to step up big time offensively to push the Heat to a 2-0 series advantage.
