The Miami Heat are navigating their first real rough patch of the 2025-26 season - a four-game slide that’s raised eyebrows, particularly with the timing of Tyler Herro’s return to the lineup. But if you’re pointing fingers at Herro, head coach Erik Spoelstra has a message for you: pump the brakes.
Let’s be clear - Herro isn’t putting up empty numbers. Through six games, he’s averaging 23.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting a blistering 50.5% from the field, 40.5% from deep, and 92.3% from the line.
That’s elite efficiency. But basketball isn’t just about box scores, and Herro’s reintegration into the Heat’s system hasn’t been seamless - especially on the defensive end.
Spoelstra, as expected, isn’t buying into the noise that Herro’s return is the root of Miami’s recent struggles.
“It’s just a total overreaction that’s misguided. We need Tyler,” Spoelstra said earlier this week.
“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.”
That’s not just coach-speak - it’s a reminder of how important Herro is to Miami’s ceiling. The Heat are a rhythm team, and right now, they’re out of sync.
Over their last eight games, they’ve cracked the 111-point mark just twice. In the first 17 games of the season?
They hit that number in all but two.
The ball movement has stalled, the shots aren’t falling, and yes, Herro’s return plays into that - but he’s hardly the sole reason. The Heat’s offense right now feels like a team still figuring out how to balance roles, spacing, and tempo with a key player re-entering the mix.
Defensively, though, is where the growing pains are most apparent. Herro’s been targeted - a lot.
Opposing ball handlers are going right at him, and the results haven’t been great. When a player’s defensive presence becomes a liability, it can neutralize even the most efficient scoring nights.
That’s been the challenge: Herro’s giving you 20-plus a night, but the other end of the floor is where the margin is shrinking.
Part of the issue is schematic. Herro’s spent the bulk of his career operating in a system that leaned heavily on pick-and-rolls, where he’s thrived as both a scorer and a developing playmaker.
But this current version of Miami’s offense is different - less reliant on ball screens, more motion-based, more read-and-react. That’s a shift for Herro, and it’s going to take some time to recalibrate.
Spoelstra knows that. The Heat know that. And if history tells us anything, it’s that this team tends to figure things out when it matters most.
“We can be very dangerous when we get guys on the same page, committing to our identity,” Spoelstra added. “And Tyler’s a big part of that.”
The Heat are betting on continuity, chemistry, and patience - not panic. Herro’s talent isn’t in question.
The challenge now is fitting that talent back into a team that had been building momentum in his absence. It’s not a matter of if they’ll adjust - it’s when.
And for Miami, the hope is that "when" comes before this skid turns into something more serious.