Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
The facts: The Miami Heat has a -3.2 net rating with Tyler Herro on the floor
The case for Tyler Herro: Over the last couple of regular seasons, it's been quite clear that change was needed for the Miami Heat. However, because of their financial situation, it's become incredibly difficult and downright impossible for the Heat to significantly alter their roster. Because of that, they headed into this season with relatively the same core as last year. As you would expect, for a flawed team, the Heat has been inconsistent all year long. But if there's been one bright spot for the struggling Heat, it's been the play of Tyler Herro.
Say what you want about Herro in the past, but the argument can be made that he's been the best player so far this season. He's been the team's best offensive player and has shown the willingness to be more active on the defensive end of the floor so far this year. How sustainable his hot start to the year remains to be seen but Herro is certainly doing his part. Of course, the question is, how much is Herro's hot start to the season positively impacting the team? Well, that's a bit more difficult to answer.
The case against Tyler Herro: In theory, you'd imagine the Heat would be much worse off if it wasn't for Herro. However, when we take a look at supporting stats, Miami has a much better net rating when Herro is off the floor. Overall, the Heat is a significantly better defensive team while being slightly worse offensive when Herro is on the bench. Considering he's been the best player for the Heat on the offensive end of the floor to start the season, it should confuse everything that's happening in Miami.
Could these numbers be a product of just a small sample size for a struggling team? Sure. However, considering that Herro has not always been a great fit on the Heat for the role that they've thrust him into, you can't help but wonder if this is just a continuation of the past. Herro has been played better this season but he still might be in a role that doesn't suit him greatly. If so, it'll be interesting to see if there are any adjustments as we get deeper into the season. If not, we can always check back in to see if these numbers improve throughout the season or not.