Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro provides 'empty calories'?

It can be argued that Tyler Herro is the best player for the Miami Heat following his first All-Star appearance and Bam Adebayo’s drop in production in most areas. However, there are still a few flaws preventing Herro from rising higher in the league.

One of those flaws has been his health. Last year, he made a significant effort to respond to Pat Riley’s “fragile” remarks by remaining as healthy as possible. This led to Herro playing a career-best 77 games. Unfortunately, his All-Star campaign didn’t impress ESPN as much, as they viewed his season in comparison to the team’s worst record of the decade. 

“Last season, Herro bounced back from injury to have his most efficient and best playmaking season, and he was a bright light on a Heat team that endured Jimmy Butler's daily turbulence and Bam Adebayo's overall down season. He'll have to overcome similar hurdles in 2025-26 after undergoing surgery this offseason that will keep him sidelined at the start. There are times when his offense-first and shot-heavy play can feel like empty calories, especially when the Heat had their worst season in a decade.”Brian Windhorst, ESPN

While No. 68 is an improvement from last year’s No. 76 among ESPN’s top 100 ranking, Herro still fell behind several players viewed as role players on their respective teams. This can be attributed to Herro’s limited defensive production and his consistently decreasing postseason play, which plagued him again last season in an early exit against the Cleveland Cavaliers.