Heat guard Tyler Herro will miss the first month of the season after undergoing foot surgery earlier in mid-September. (Mandatory Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Miami Heat will be without arguably their best offensive player in Tyler Herro (foot) at the start of the season.
The Heat have had a bottom-third offense each of the last three seasons, so it’s going to be an uphill trek for the first month to replace Herro’s production. It will need to be a collective effort, though three names who will receive a boost is Bam Adebayo, new Heat guard Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins.
However, Herro mentioned one semi-shocking name during media day Monday.
“The easy answer is to say [Norman Powell] or [Andrew Wiggins] or [Bam Adebayo],” he said. “I think the young guys are the ones that are going to step up. I think [Nikola Jovic], in specific. I think he can really benefit from it, he’s one of the guys that can do a lot on the court, whether it’s bringing the ball up and getting out in transition, passing, scoring, attacking downhill. He can do a lot of it.
“Watching him in EuroBasket before I hurt my foot, not knowing I was going to be out to start the season, I was really excited to play with Niko, see how Niko continues to rise his game. I’m still looking forward to it, and I think Niko’s going to have a tremendous season.”
Tyler Herro on who he thinks will step up in his absence to start the season:
“The easy answer is to say Norman or Wiggs or Bam. I think the young guys are the ones that are going to step up. Niko specifically, I think he can really benefit from it, he’s one of the guys that… pic.twitter.com/aeIo7acqRc
— 🌴🇺🇸🇨🇴🌴 (@Birdey954theWin) September 29, 2025
That is the easy answer, but it was surprising that he immediately named Jovic.
That said, it also makes some degree of sense.
Jovic has a lot to prove heading into the new season. He has not played more than 46 games in each of his first three seasons, including missing the final 27 games of last year’s regular season with a fractured hand.
Herro’s right — he has an unique skillset at 6-foot-10 as a play finisher, secondary ball handler, playmaker and spot-up 3-point shooter. But the 22-year-old hasn’t consistently been available to prove his worth. If he can take that next step, Miami’s in a much better position moving forward.
He’s coming off a very encouraging EuroBasket performance alongside Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia. Now, he’ll be tasked with a sizable role with Adebayo, Powell and Wiggins leading the charge. Whether he’s the team’s final starter or not, I’m a believer he’ll take that next step, but only time will tell.
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