Dec 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) dribbles the basketball against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami Heat Hype Their New (Starting?) Backcourt

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI
By Ethan J. Skolnick | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 9:20 PM ET

Time was, we would go into training camp not sure if Tyler Herro would be a sixth man or a starter.

Those days are long gone, with Herro coming off his best season, one that earned him an All-Star nod.

And yet, there's still some uncertainty about who will be starting with Herro in the backcourt. Last season, he opened next to the disappointing Terry Rozier, but finished mostly next to Davion Mitchell, after Mitchell's acquisition at the trade deadline. Some projected Mitchell to start again, to give the Heat a point of attack defender that they have so long lacked with the opening group.

Logic, and the Heat, however, seem to be pointing to something different.

Another week closer to seeing these two on the court pic.twitter.com/GrEIEhd7Rk
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 12, 2025

The Heat's social media team paired Herro with Norman Powell, and that's almost certainly how coach Erik Spoelstra will approach the season as well. Powell's presence gives the Heat another potential 20-point scorer to take pressure off Herro, who was often double-teamed after Jimmy Butler started getting suspended and was ultimately dealt.

There are questions, of course, about how the Heat will operate effectively without a traditional point guard, but the hope is that Herro and Powell can share some of the burden, with the team playing through Bam Adebayo and it has at times before. And maybe even Nikola Jovic, should he crack the lineup over Kel'el Ware.

Powell was more effective off the catch for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, and the Heat had been trying to get Herro off the ball more as well. So it will be tricky. But it's also necessary for a squad that so often struggles to score. Mitchell is almost certain to be the first guard off the bench, and Pelle Larsson may be the second, coming off a strong Summer League and EuroBasket.

The relationship of Powell and Herro, both up for extensions, is the one that bears the most watching in camp. Apparently, the Heat are excited about it.

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This article first appeared on Miami Heat on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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