Heat’s Tyler Herro taking on more usage and responsibility this season: ‘Just embracing it’
Through the ups and downs for the Miami Heat this season, at least one thing has held steady through it all: The Heat’s offense has run through Tyler Herro.
Not only does Herro enter Monday night’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets at Kaseya Center with a team-high usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court) of 27.1% his season, but he has also posted the highest usage rate on the team in each individual month through February this season.
Herro has also led the Heat in usage in two of the previous three seasons, but this is different with six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler no longer available to help stabilize the offense at critical points of the game or shield some of the defensive attention away from Herro. As a result, Herro is averaging career highs in field-goal attempts (18.2 per game), three-point attempts (9.6) and assists (5.8) this season.
“Just embracing it,” Herro, 25, said of the challenge that comes with carrying that responsibility on the offensive end. “The challenge I would say is just toggling back and forth with trying to make plays for myself and make plays for my teammates.”
Herro’s usage rate spiked to 30.5% in February as the Heat began leaning on Herro even more than usual after trading Butler to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6. It marked the first time in Herro’s NBA career that he finished a month with a usage rate over 30%, averaging 24.1 points and seven assists per game while shooting 41.1% from the field and 25.9% on threes in February.
“That’s always been my thing,” Herro continued. “When I have the ball in my hands a lot, not trying to shoot too much. But just taking the right shots and also balancing being aggressive for myself and balancing getting opportunities for my teammates.”
There have been times that Herro has thrived as the Heat’s go-to option this season, playing well enough to make his first NBA All-Star Game in his sixth NBA season. He entered Monday averaging a career-high 23.8 points per game on a career-best 45.7% shooting from the field while also generating a career-high 4.3 free-throw attempts per game this season.
But there have also been some tough nights along the way, as Herro’s efficiency has dipped in recent weeks. Since the start of February, Herro entered Monday averaging 23.1 points per game but on just 41.3% shooting from the field and 28.1% shooting on threes.
Herro knows higher usage usually leads to lower efficiency, but he also doesn’t want to just accept that as his reality.
“It’s tough,” Herro said. “This season, I was trying to shoot 50% from the field. Obviously, it’s come down. I was like high 40s for a minute. So just trying to keep it up there, trying to get it back to 47, 48 by the end of the season.
“But it is tougher taking a lot of end-of-the-shot-clock shots. And then end-of-the-quarter shots, I take a lot of those. Then I have guys draped all over me throughout the game. So it’s not easy, but just trying to continue to find ways of getting to the line, drawing fouls, being aggressive to make my teammates get open shots. So just trying to continue to work through it.”
Higher usage also comes with some physical challenges, as Herro is relied on to handle more of the offensive load game after game. Herro feels the difference, but he has also only missed three games this season and is on track to play in more than 67 games during a single regular season for the first time in his NBA career.
“This is the healthiest I’ve been in my career. But it’s definitely wearing,” Herro said. “I’ve been getting a lot of treatment, like the most I’ve gotten in my career this year. Just trying to stay up on taking care of my body. I feel like in my past, I haven’t done that the best. So just trying to take my off-the-court of taking care of my body to the next level, knowing that I’m going to be out there a lot.”
It has been a rough season for the Heat, but coaches and teammates have been impressed with Herro’s ability to take on more usage while still producing career-best numbers.
“It’s super impressive,” Heat forward Duncan Robinson said. “He’s tasked with not only getting the best defender every night, but then an entire game plan around how to slow him down. Obviously, he’s been by far our most consistent player. As a result, he’s getting a lot of attention and it’s warranted. And he still impresses me with the motor that he plays with and just continues to compete. He stays at it offensively.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra added: “He has seen all the different coverages, the traps, the aggressive coverages. We need him to score, we need him to make plays. But he’s really developed his playmaking over the last two or three years.”
The bottom line, though, is the Heat still enters Monday with the NBA’s 20th-best record and 21st-ranked offensive rating. That’s below average.
Herro wants to be the leading man on offense, but he also wants to win. He’s accepting of this role this season, but he’s also willing to give up some of his usage if the Heat adds another elite scorer down the road.
“I think this is what I’ve envisioned for myself,” Herro said. “But I want to win games more than being the No. 1 option. So just trying to figure out ways we can win games. I’m excited to see how this group continues to grow and I got to continue to get better, as well.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat remains without Alec Burks (lower back pain), Josh Christopher (G League), Nikola Jovic (broken right hand) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery) for Monday’s matchup against the Hornets.
The Hornets are without Tre Mann (disc herniation), Brandon Miller (right wrist ligament repair), Josh Okogie (left hamstring strain), Tidjane Salaun (G League), KJ Simpson (G League) and Grant Williams (right ACL repair) for Monday’s game in Miami.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
