Miami Heat: Is it time to break the emergency glass and start Tyler Herro?

With all momentum lost after losing back-to-back road games, we explore whether it’s time for the Miami Heat to start Tyler Herro.

Heading into a pivotal Game 5, with the series tied at 2-2, between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, there is plenty on the line for both teams. And with the Sixers winning the last two on their home floor, I can’t help but feel like the ball is in Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to make the next move.

I don’t believe it would be smart for the Heat to keep the status quo heading into Game 5 against the Sixers. That seems like the perfect formula to lose a series. Something has to change and it’s on Spo to figure it out.

Whether that be schematically or rotation-wise, I have to believe we’re going to see a new wrinkle from Miami. And there are certainly a few options.

Among all of them, there is one logical move that could be the most impactful – inserting Tyler Herro into the starting lineup.

I know Spo often favors continuity and one of his biggest weaknesses as a coach is being too loyal to certainly lineups and rotations, but starting Herro could help solve some of the team’s offensive issues.

Herro is an offensive firecracker and a shooter that would command attention – something that, as good as Max Strus is, he’s not doing at the moment. And if the Heat wanted to keep Strus as a starter, perhaps there could be a path for that – with the possibility that Kyle Lowry may miss Game 5.

He has been hobbled since the start of this series and appeared to have re-aggravated his injury in Game 4. He’s listed as questionable but seems to be trending in the wrong direction.

Miami, in essence, could start Herro, Jimmy Butler, Max Strus, PJ Tucker, and Bam Adebayo in Game 5, with Gabe Vincent, Victor Oladipo, and Caleb Martin or Duncan Robinson as the primary rotation.

It could give the team the early boost to the offense that they’ve been lacking in Games 3 and 4 and would add another weapon that the Sixers would have to account for to start the game.

The big question is whether or not this move would be seen as a panic move? After all, the Heat is tied with the Sixers at 2-2 and have two of the next three games on their home floor. This is why Miami played for the No. 1 seed. It’s disappointing that the Heat didn’t manage to steal one in Philly, but the Sixers are a really good team. And are now healthy with Joel Embiid in the lineup.

I’m sure Spoelstra will weigh all the different options that the Heat could make ahead of Game 5. Starting Herro will likely be on the table. It remains to be seen whether they’ll actually break the emergency glass and make the decision.