"It'd be a completely different situation": Tyler Herro believes the Heat needed Jimmy Butler to win
The Miami Heat became arguably Tyler Herro’s team when Jimmy Butler demanded out of South Beach. Bam Adebayo was the veteran leader, but Herro became the guy the offense ran through without Jimmy Buckets. Adebayo and Herro have largely played well, but the Heat are struggling without their former franchise cornerstone.
In an interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, the first-time All-Star had this to say about Miami’s playoff struggles without Butler:
“Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win. If we had Jimmy right now, I feel like it’d be a completely different situation. We probably wouldn’t even be the eighth seed.
“So finding that middle balance of like, ‘Damn, we need him,’ but also understanding, s**t, that’s his career and what he wants is ultimately his right to want what he wants. It was just tough to be in the middle of both sides.”
Jimmy Butler told the media he lost his “joy” playing basketball after the Miami Heat lost 128-115 to the Indiana Pacers in early January. The statement opened the floodgates of a contentious standoff between Butler and Pat Riley, the Heat's president of basketball operations. Riley suspended Butler multiple times before eventually trading him to the Golden State Warriors.
Miami held a 17-15 record after the loss to the Pacers. They ended the regular season with a 37-45 mark for the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference. Behind Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, they survived two play-in tournament games to earn the No. 8 seed.
After a 124-87 beatdown in Miami on Saturday, the Heat faced a 0-3 deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. Herro is finding the sledding tough without Butler.
Tyler Herro struggled badly in Game 3 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers
Tyler Herro averaged 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the first two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. There were stretches in Game 2 where he looked unstoppable.
The Cavaliers handcuffed him to 13 points behind 5-for-13 shooting in Game 3. Without Herro taken out by the opposing defense, the Heat suffered a 124-87 beatdown. There was no Butler to go to when the offense bogged down or when the team needed a shotmaker. Miami is on the verge of a long summer after the decisive loss.
Tyler Herro's interview with The Athletic happened before Game 3. After the embarrassing loss on Saturday, his comment about the Heat’s struggles without Butler rang out loud.