Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Tyler Herro Makes Shocking Jimmy Butler Revelation

Alex Toledo|
Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and guard Tyler Herro (14) are introduced during pregame ceremonies before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and guard Tyler Herro (14) are introduced during pregame ceremonies before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

Once again, the Miami Heat find themselves unable to win without former star player Jimmy Butler.

A year ago, they lost him to injury in their Play-In game. This time around, after trading Butler away midseason, they enter Monday's Game 4 down 0-3 in their first round Playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tyler Herro, averaging 22.3 points in the series, gave The Athletic an eye-opening quote about what Butler meant for his chances at winning before their disastrous Game 3 loss.

"Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win," Herro said. "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, (bleep), 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.”

Herro, of course, was a pleasant surprise as a rookie playoff contributor during the Heat's 2020 Finals run. After that, he did not play up to his standards during the 2021 and 2022 Playoffs, and then missed almost the entirety of the 2023 Finals run after getting hurt diving for a loose ball in the first game of the Playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, are up 2-1 as the seventh seed in their series despite Butler getting hurt in Game 2. Additionally, the Warriors won 23 of 30 games in the regular season with Butler in the lineup. Herro knows how valuable Butler was to the Heat.

“I’ve known Jimmy for five, six years, obviously being with him every day, just seeing how he is as a basketball player and how he really makes his teammates better,” Herro said. “He makes the right play all the time, just seeing that competitive edge that he brought.”

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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at toledoalexander22@gmail.com. Twitter: @tropicalblanket

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Alex Toledo
ALEX TOLEDO

Alex, who was born in Miami, is also a producer, co-host and reporter for the Five on the Floor podcast. He has covered the Heat and NBA since 2019 as a season credential holder. He studied journalism at Florida International University.