"They're not easy decisions" - Erik Spoelstra had a tough time telling Tyler Herro to sit down for Game 5 of the NBA Finals
Erik Spoelstra reflected on the decision to keep Tyler Herro on the bench during the Miami Heat's loss in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, hinting it was a tough situation. Herro injured his hand within the first 19 minutes of action in the 2023 playoffs in Game 1 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
He underwent surgery and missed the entire playoffs. Herro worked his way into shape to return in time for the elimination Game 5 contest, but Spoelstra decided to keep the 6th Man of the Year on the sidelines. Spoelstra looked back on that choice during his exit interview, saying, (via Heat sportscaster Josh Moser):
"There's no perfect answer to that, but certainly, yes, I do have empathy for Tyler. He's a competitor, so I know how he felt after the game. He is like all of our guys in the locker room. They want to contribute, they want to do whatever they had to do to try to help the team win. He's a great competitor...
"They're not easy decisions. That was such an extreme circumstance that there's not an easy answer to that... It's my job as the head coach to protect him."
Heat HC Erik Spoelstra explains his decision to not play Tyler Herro in Game 5 of the #nbafinals #nba #heatculture #nbatwitter https://t.co/qYuZ1AxjZv
Herro was officially listed as out a few hours before the game. However, he was available later. Herro was likely unfit to play after missing around two months of action. The Heat were also in control for most of the contest, so keeping Herro on the bench was ideal.
The game was physically and defensively dominated, making it a difficult scoring contest for both teams. Due to a lack of conditioning and in-game reps, Herro would've likely been a weak link for the Heat.
A healthy Tyler Herro could've flipped the script for the Miami Heat in the Finals
The Denver Nuggets deserve their respect, and they have earned their win regardless of what the circumstances were for the Miami Heat. The Nuggets were the better team, and they outplayed Miami as they were expected to.
However, it's difficult to rule out that a healthy Tyler Herro could've given the Nuggets a run for their money. The Heat, as it is, competed as well as they could, but the lack of scoring outside of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo hurt Miami's prospects.
Herro was the third leading scorer for Miami in the regular season, and his 20-points per-game contribution could've been significant in the NBA Finals against the best team in the league.
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The defensive pressure on Butler and Adebayo could've been far less than it was. The Heat's major struggles came with the role players misfiring, so a reliable threat like Tyler Herro could've made the Heat's offense smoother and more efficient.
Tyler Herro's injury absence will only remain among those "what if" moments for the Heat in the context of the 2023 finals result.