Earlier this season, the Miami Heat were considered among the top contenders for ex-Rockets star James Harden. With Harden, Butler, and Bam Adebayo, the Heat likely would have been favorites to win the East, and maybe even the Championship.
In the end, however, they decided to go in a different direction, betting on guys like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson instead.
Considering where the Heat stand now (12-17 in the East), there is a feeling around the NBA that they might be regretting that decision. Michael Saenz of Fansided’s Sir Charles In Charge talked about it in a recent article:
“Miami believed that Herro would be more valuable on the team in his second season than being the centerpiece of a package that could’ve returned Harden – or maybe another star player,” Saenz wrote. “More than a month after the Harden trade, with the Heat struggling mightily, you can’t help but wonder if Miami is second-guessing their inactivity.”
Months after making an appearance in the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are struggling to keep their heads above the water.
With struggles on both ends of the floor, and health concerns surrounding several players, the Heta haven’t been themselves since the start of the season. To make things worse, Tyler Herro (the guy they refused to trade for Harden) hasn’t been stepping up to the plate how they’d hoped.
“The biggest issue for the Heat has been Herro’s lack of consistency. He isn’t the player that he was in the restart bubble and hasn’t progressed as many expected him to be. On the season, Herro is averaging 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 44 percent shooting from the field but just 34 percent from 3-point range.
Miami has asked Herro to be more of a playmaker this season and it hasn’t exactly panned out. Herro is averaging nearly three turnovers per game and hasn’t found the touch from the 3-point line. He’s still considered an average shooter from deep, but the Heat needs Herro to be more than average if they’re going to replicate similar success to what they accomplished in the bubble.”
All the while, the team is having to sit back and watch as James Harden and the Nets get things together and dominate the league.
Whether or not last season’s run was a fluke, Miami has a lot to figure out before they can hope to make a return to the Finals. Figuring out what to do with Herro, and if they need to use him to trade for a star, will undoubtedly be one of their biggest priorities.
