Q: Good. Now we can have a lineup that can play defense and offense. – Sid.
A: No, not good. Losing a player who scored 23.9 points per game last season is never good, no matter what might otherwise be conceded on the opposite end. Yes, Tyler Herro’s foot surgery could lead to the insertion of Davion Mitchell and his defensive tenacity into the starting lineup. But without Herro’s scoring, the Heat might instead turn to Nikola Jovic as a starter in place of Kel’el Ware. That would help replace some of the offense lost with Herro’s injury, but also would come at the cost of Ware’s defensive deterrence in the starting unit. The offense/defense balance was always going to be tenuous with this roster. In that respect, the Herro injury has not eliminated that dilemma.
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Q: Why did Tyler Herro wait so long? – Alex.
A: This is always a tough one, a player attempting to balance the hope of recovery vs. the risk of lost time. To Tyler Herro’s credit, he attempted to push through the foot issue while seeking all available non-surgical solutions. Ultimately, the decision came down to missing training camp and some of the start of the season, or further waiting and missing an even larger chunk of the season. The reality is the preference, be it professional athlete or otherwise, is to avoid the surgical outcome (sorry, surgeons).
Q: How about signing Russell Westbrook? – Brasi.
A: So we’re back here again? The one benefit of the Heat’s perimeter-heavy roster is that it is loaded with potential fill-ins for Tyler Herro. Beyond Davion Mitchell as potential starting replacement alongside Norman Powell, there also are Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dru Smith, Kasparas Jakucionis, even Terry Rozier. There also could be big lineups where Andrew Wiggins moves to the backcourt, depending on the power alignment. So, no, signing a fill-in for a player expected to miss only a month of the regular season does not appear to be the direction. Or necessary.