Does Miami Heat's Load Completely Fall Onto Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo?

Anthony Pasciolla | Apr 20, 2024

Dec 31, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Miami Heat center/forward Bam Adebayo (13) sets a screen; Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are matched up against the Boston Celtics in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, but how will they come out victorious in the absence of star Jimmy Butler?

The initial thought is all of the weight falls on the shoulders of stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Herro tallied a near triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists while Adebayo recorded 13 points and four rebounds in their win-or-go-home game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. Forward Caleb Martin is among those who believe that the star tandem takes on the heavy responsibility.

"When Jimmy goes down, we know those two guys [Herro and Adebayo] are the forefront of how we get involved offensively," Martin said. "It's got to run through them. We all know that." 

The Heat have never been a team to find success strictly because of one player. For example, Martin was arguably the second-best player on the floor for them in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. While Herro and Adebayo's consistency is key, strong performances from players such as Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Duncan Robinson could make the real difference.

"Obviously, year to year it's different," veteran Kevin Love said. "Naturally, with some of our firepower out, it's going to be an uphill battle but different guys are going to have to step up. You saw it last year with guys going down but we just have to continue to weather the storm." 

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributing writer to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla