Inside The Heat

Who leads the Miami Heat in scoring with Tyler Herro out?

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) dunks the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Apr 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) dunks the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

It's not easy to replace 23.9 points per game.

That, however, is Erik Spoelstra's challenge as training camp opens next week for the Miami Heat -- without Tyler Herro as an active participant. Herro will miss at least the first of the season following ankle surgery, for a squad that was already likely to be offensively challenged.

The Heat do have three players on their roster who have averaged over 20 points in a season; the question is which will be most relied upon to do it again.

Let's start with Bam Adebayo, who averaged 20.4 points in 2022-23 but dipped to 18.1 last season, mostly due to a slow first two months. Much of that was during the depths of the Jimmy Butler saga, and it's possible that affected Adebayo's production, as he was also serving as the team captain, trying to keep the locker room and the defense together.

Adebayo averaged well over 20 points in the season's last two months, once Butler was gone, and with Herro now out, Spoelstra will run more offense through him. The question is whether Adebayo will remain aggressive, or look to pass more than he shoots. Basket attacks, and free throw attempts, will be welcome.

Then there's Andrew Wiggins, who entered the league as a No. 1 option in Minnesota, settled into more of a complementary role in recent years, but did score 42 and 30 in two of his 17 games for the Heat after his midseason acquisition. Not a great ball-handler, Wiggins is a capable shooter from the midrange out, and when in rhythm, can roll to a 10-12 point quarters.

He also seems to be more comfortable after a rough playoffs, but a relaxed offseason.

The right answer, though, may be Norman Powell, provided he picks up the Heat system quickly after arriving from the Los Angeles Clippers. Powell averaged a career-best 21.8 points for the Clippers last season, and now he will get many of Herro's touches and shots.

It is the answer that many Heat fans will give, as evidenced by this poll:

More than 60 percent said Powell, not surprisingly.

No matter what, it will be on those three players to produce close to 60 points per night, if the Heat are to compete. Then they can slide back a bit when Herro returns.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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