In a recent podcast, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas expressed his opinion that 24-year-old Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is officially the team’s best option.
There might be some backlash to Arena’s remarks, especially given his implication that Herro was once on the verge of leading the NBA in scoring. Herro averaged 20.1 points per game during the 2022–23 regular season, if Arenas is talking about that. It’s a respectable stat, but it’s definitely not enough to put him in the running for the league lead.
Furthermore, some would contend that Herro isn’t the team’s best option even though he leads the Heat in shot attempts per game this season—a trend that has occurred frequently in recent years—especially with players like Jimmy Butler available.
But regardless of roles or labels, Herro is a crucial ingredient to the Heat’s success. This season, he’s averaging 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from deep.
This is his second season as a full-time starter after he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2021-22 campaign. Miami is reportedly still high on his potential, and since he’s only 24, his best days in the league may very well still be ahead of him.
Herro has seen the Heat go on some fantastic playoff runs during his time with the franchise, though he did miss virtually all of the 2023 postseason due to injury. He’d surely love nothing more than to stay on the floor in the 2024 postseason and help his squad return to the NBA Finals.
However, it won’t be simple to get there because the Eastern Conference has some excellent teams, and the Heat are still figuring things out this season. With a 30–25 record, Miami is currently a play-in seed in the East at No. 7.
The Heat will not play again until February 23 against the New Orleans Pelicans, meaning they have already entered the All-Star break. They will try to recover and get ready for the dog days of the season during the course of the following week or so.
