The Miami Heat are struggling.
Slipping in the standings, the Heat have a star who has become a victim of the blame game from outsiders. Since getting the star sharpshooter Tyler Herro back in the mix, Miami hasn’t been as consistent in the win column. Naturally, it created a narrative that his presence isn’t as strong as it once might’ve been.
The future Hall of Fame head coach Erik Spoelstra firmly pushed back on that narrative.
“It’s just a total overreaction that’s misguided,” Spoelstra told reporters recently.
“We need Tyler, and it will be a little bit of a process working him back into the mix. But to get where we need to go, we need Tyler’s skill and talent. We need our guys healthy, and that’s what we’re working on right now.”
Herro was sidelined with an injury when the Heat fired up their 2025-2026 run. It was the start of a full season without Jimmy Butler for the first time, and expectations were low for Miami.
The Heat ended up crushing expectations at the start. Without Herro, they managed to go 11-8. When he was cleared to make his anticipated return, Miami hoped he would be a notable boost. Unfortunately, they’ve gone 3-3 with him back in the lineup. Currently, Miami is on a four-game skid.
Spoelstra isn’t a losing coach. While Miami has had its fair share of struggles throughout his tenure, the Heat tend to figure it out when nobody expects them to. He believes that with time, they’ll only get stronger than before with Herro on the court.
“We can be very dangerous when we get guys on the same page, committing to our identity, and Tyler’s a big part of that,” the head coach stated.
Since debuting, Herro is putting up All-Star numbers with 23.2 points per game, shooting 40 percent from three. It’s not clicking yet, but the Heat are still above .500 with a playoff seed just weeks before Christmas. The ship can sail in either direction, but there’s plenty of time for the Heat to figure it out.
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