Things do not come easy for the Miami Heat. They have been grinding through adversity both on and off the court this season, and it is only December. The franchise's renown culture is still lurking beneath the surface, however. It was on full display in Thursday night's 89-88 comeback win versus the Orlando Magic. The squad's collective tenacity is accompanied by the rising stardom of Tyler Herro.
The 24-year-old guard has morphed into Miami's No. 1 option, and the timing could not be more perfect. Following a Shams Charania report that revealed Jimmy Butler's desire to be traded, Herro soothed South Beach's anxiety a bit by draining a terrific game-winner with less than one second left on the game clock. His clutch mid-range jumper followed a go-ahead tip-in by Goga Bitadze, thereby sparing the Heat a gut-wrenching loss.
Instead, the former Sixth Man of the Year delivered the team and its fan base a thrilling and much-needed road win. Miami trailed by as many as 17 points and erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to improve to 15-13 on the year. Herro finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, dropping seven over the final 12 minutes. He was also charged with six turnovers, but fans are focusing on his abundant promise.
TYLER HERRO ANSWERS RIGHT BACK TO PUT THE HEAT BACK IN FRONT 🔥pic.twitter.com/dp3VGDNr4Y https://t.co/Joks6cIB4B
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 27, 2024
The people celebrate Heat star Tyler Herro
“PUT SOME RESPECT ON TYLER HERRO'S NAME,” Heat nation posted on X. “Wow Herro ball, clutch,” @WatersChie said. “The kids is so good,” @kingshagrin declared. “Future of Miami!”
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Despite Pat Riley's firm proclamation that Butler will not be traded, a split feels inevitable, whether it happens before the trade deadline or in the offseason. Herro is the anchor the franchise needs during this period of uncertainty. He has been an impressive yet non-superstar performer during the previous three years, leading many people to believe that a true emergence might not come. That skepticism is rapidly fading.
It remains to be seen how far the Heat can go with Tyler Herro as their primary offensive weapon, but he is looking comfortable in the role. His aggression can sometimes be a negative, as was the case in the squad's overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 16 (4-of-17 from 3-point range and took an ill-advised last shot), but his feel for the moment is tough to ignore. And it is exactly what the Heat Culture demands.
Could an official coronation await the former lottery pick? Fans seem to think so, anyway. “We need to have a real conversation about Tyler Herro winning the Clutch Award this season if he keeps this up,” @HeatCulture13 posted.
Herro will bring his career-high 23.9 points, 47.1 shooting percentage, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game with him to State Farm Arena on Saturday afternoon. No. 14 aims to stay locked-in for a 3 p.m. ET matchup against the Atlanta Hawks (16-15).
