The Miami Heat have cemented themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA this season, as they currently sit a half-a-game in front of the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are getting a major boost to their rotations with Tyler Herro returning from the league’s health and safety protocols.
Tyler Herro has not played Since January 17 and has missed the Heat’s last three games due to COVID protocols. On Tuesday, the Miami Heat announced that Herro has cleared protocols.
The Heat have been used to players being in-and-out of the rotation due to injuries and health protocols this season, as just three players (Duncan Robinson, P.J. Tucker and Dewayne Dedmon) have played at least 40 games this season, but nobody on their roster has played in all 47 games to this point.
Currently 30-17 on the season, the Heat look like they are well on their way to making it back to the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but getting the front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year back right now is everything for Miami.
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Tyler Herro has been sensational for the Heat this season and has seemed to silence all of his doubters from a season ago. After their miraculous run to the NBA Finals in the 2020 NBA Bubble, the Heat went just 40-32 last season and ended up getting swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first-round of the playoffs.
Not making too much of an impact for the Heat last season and dealing with the mental fatigue of being in the NBA Bubble, Herro seemed a little bit off and as a result, he took the full offseason to recuperate and begin focusing on his future in Miami.
Working hard to build an identity in the offseason, Tyler Herro has been fantastic this season and will likely get some consideration for the All-Star Game as a result. In 38 games this year, Herro has averaged 20.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and has shot 43% from the floor, 38.8% from three-point range.
A player’s third year in the NBA is always a turning point, either in a good way or a bad way, and Tyler Herro has very much solidified his spot in the Heat’s rotations for many years to come with his recent play.
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Looking at the Heat’s season as a whole to this point, it is really hard to point out something as a flaw. They have conquered every challenge they have faced either on offense or defense, or even with their rotations, and they have arguably the best depth out of any team in this league.
Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Dewayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven have all stepped up at times throughout the season for the Heat and the one thing all these guys have in common with one another is that they went undrafted.
Miami has found a ton of success over the years buying into undrafted free agents rather than utilizing actual draft picks and this has paid off big-time. The Heat’s developmental team is one of the best in the league and almost being like an undrafted coach himself, Erik Spoelstra can directly relate to over half of his team.
Before winning two NBA championships, five Eastern Conference championships and currently ranking 5th in the league in wins out of all active head coaches, Spoelstra was the smallest guy on the totem pole for the Heat as their video coordinator in 1995.
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From working late hours in what was known as “The Dungeon” to cleaning up the locker room and court after practices, Erik Spoelstra put in a ton of work to get to where he is today. Now being one of the best head coaches in the league over the last decade, Speolstra has yet another gritty team looking to prove themselves.
There really are no limits to what this year’s Miami Heat team can achieve, especially if they are at full-strength entering the playoffs. Their three-headed All-Star monster of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry is arguably the best two-way trio in the league right now and with a plethora of scorers and shooters on the bench who play hard on both ends of the court, the Heat have a really strong chance of making their second NBA Finals appearance in the last three seasons.
Keep in mind, Victor Oladipo could make his return to the lineup at some point in February, as the team has continued to suggest as a possibility. A deep team will have another veteran contributor to turn to throughout games.
