It’s perhaps the biggest debate among Miami Heat fans: Should Tyler Herro go to the bench?
Until coach Erik Spoelstra does anything different, it might be a moot argument. Over the last two seasons since being inserted into the starting lineup following his 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year campaign, Herro has started all but two games he’s appeared in.
But there could be a reason to re-evaluate Herro’s position. The Heat are 44-37 over the past two seasons in games Herro has started alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. It’s a core that hardly plays with the chemistry expected after spending five seasons together. If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s fair to wonder if that trio will ever gel.
Then there’s the other part of the equation: If Spoelstra were to make a dramatic change and move Herro to the bench, who would take his place? Here are the obvious options.
4. Duncan Robinson
Whatever chemistry Herro lacks with Butler and Adebayo, Robinson has it. But don’t take it from me, take it from Udonis Haslem, who told ESPN’s First Take that he would move Herro to the bench and start Robinson.
“For chemistry, we’re better with Duncan Robinson in the starting lineup, making plays, being that trigger,” Haslem said. “Tyler can come off in that second group, no worry about getting guys involved, just play ball, score and be who he is.”
Robinson doesn’t need the ball to be impactful. The threat of his quick-trigger shot forces defenders to cover him as he runs around the arc, creating space for Butler and Adebayo to work in the paint. If the Heat were to bench Herro but want to maintain optimal spacing around their tentpole stars, Robinson is the obvious choice.
3. Haywood Highsmith
But like Herro, Robinson can be targetted defensively. Even though both have improved as team defenders – head on a swivel, rarely out of position – they have physical limitations that make it difficult for them to stop top scorers in one-on-one situations. The Boston Celtics, for example, pulled Herro or Robinson into a pick-and-roll and had Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown score in isolation over and over. It was too easy. That’s not going away.
If the Heat want to add a bit more defensive juice – or, more accurately, remove a defensive weak link – they could swap in one of the best defensive players on the roster, Haywood Highsmith.
Highsmith thrives as a perimeter defender who can guard multiple positions. Spoelstra last season often went to him to turn off the faucet on a hot scorer. What if that scorer never got hot in the first place because Highsmith was putting the clamps on him from the jump?
Highsmith, re-signed this summer to a two-year, $10 million deal, has mostly played forward in Miami. But, at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, what has been an undersized forward could become an oversized guard. If his 40% 3-point shooting rate from last season is repeatable, Highsmith could resemble a 3-and-D guard like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The politics could be tough: Highsmith making $15-25 million less than the other options that would be coming off the bench. There would also be questions for an offense that needs as much spacing as possible. But it’s intriguing.
2. Josh Richardson
On paper, Richardson provides a compromise between offense and defense. A more proven shooter than Highsmith and better defender than Herro or Robinson, Richardson walks and talks like a plug-and-play 3-and-D wing.
But there’s a reason why Richardson has played for six teams in the five years since his first stint in Miami. He’s only an average 3-point shooter, having made 36% of his career 3s, and can be an inconsistent defender despite his 6-foot-6 frame.
Richardson averaged 9.9 points and shot 34.7% from 3 in his first season back with the Heat, but was playing his best basketball before an unfortunate shoulder injury sustained in February sidelined him for the rest of the season. The days of Richardson starting will likely remain in 2017 and 2018, but he’s a solid backup option.
1. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Starting Jaquez would be a shift in the Heat’s philosophy but if they want to give him more responsibility in his second season, this could be a way to do it.
Jaquez was a spot starter as rookie, usually in the games Butler missed because he resembles Butler so much.
The Heat could play them together to give the offense an extra bit of shot creation and size. A lineup with Rozier, Jaquez, Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo wouldn’t have anyone particularly oversized at their position, but would also feature only one player under 6-foot-6.
The question would be spacing and defense. Jaquez shot 32% from 3 last season, a mark that needs to improve. Defensively he’s fine, but he’s not one of Miami’s best.
This seems like a long shot unless Jaquez shoots the lights out in training camp and the preseason. For now, it could be best to bring him off the bench to anchor Miami’s second unit.
