Erik Spoelstra denies theories about Tyler Hero’s impact following his return

MIAMI – After Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra achieved his 800th victory in his career 106-103 NBA Cup victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, it also marked the second game in Tyler Herro‘s return. With The Heat are an offense looking to get Herro involvedthe team has taken an offensive slump in the last few contests, leading some to believe that the All-Star guard is the reason, although Spoelstra wants to put an end to that story immediately.

Before Hero’s return on Nov. 24 against the Dallas Mavericks, Miami averaged a league-best 124.9 points per game, but since his season debut, the team has scored 106 points in back-to-back games. Hero has been effective since returning to the team, scoring 24 and 29 points, respectively, in wins over Dallas and Milwaukee.

But with the team not firing on all cylinders offensively, there was no doubt some speculation from the basketball world about Herro slowing them down. For Spoelstra, it’s much more than that, explaining why the offensive slump “not because tyler is back.”

“But he’s definitely going to add, look, it’s going to take a little bit of time, the last two games,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not because Tyler’s back. It’s because, you know, teams are going to try to out-plan what we’re trying to do. Teams are going to try to slow us down, and we just need to get better at what we’re doing. I’m looking forward to practice on Friday so we can fine-tune some things.”

Erik Spoelstra talks about Tyler Hero’s comeback in the past two games and how the offensive slump in the last two wasn’t his fault:

“It’s going to take time. The last two games aren’t because Tyler is back. Teams are going to try to scheme and we have to be better at what we do. . . .” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/nt0p5TVC4e

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 27, 2025

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on Tyler Hero’s work with injury

In addition to Herro, The Heat returned a fully healthy rosterwhich led Spoelstra to experiment with lineups, rotations and playing time, especially with the return Andrew Wigginsafter missing the last three games. The starting lineups saw their eighth change since the start of the regular season, and Spoelstra used his entire 10-man rotation in the first quarter, even seeing Nikola Jovic as a healthy scratch.

There’s no doubt that Spoelstra and Miami will have a process to figure out as the season progresses as far as rotations go, but now with another offensive firepower added to the mix in Hero, the team’s ceiling is higher than before. Spoelstra would say it’s been impressive to see the work Herro has put in since offseason ankle surgery.

“I just wanted to be open to all the possibilities and anything he can bring that he can add to our team,” Spoelstra said. “We’re so familiar with him. His skill level is just unbelievable, and he works so hard. So he’s got the skill level, he’s got the ambition, he’s got the work ethic.”

“It’s not easy to be out for a significant amount of time and then come back and look like you haven’t missed a day, but that’s a credit to his work,” Spoelstra continued. “He does everything at full speed. Every rep is like a live rep, whether he’s going or he’s got a coach working against him. So it gets him into his rhythm a lot faster.”

Either way, Miami is now 13-6 as Hero and the rest of the team try to put the pieces together Saturday against the Detroit Pistons, looking for seven straight wins.