Who should start at SG in place of injured Tyler Herro?

Going over all the options and who I think should/will start in Herro’s absence.

Tyler Herro’s broken hand injury will be keeping the former 6MOTY shooting guard sidelined for 4-6 weeks. He is most likely done for the entire season, but Miami is currently in the midst of an underdog playoff run in which they have a 1-0 series lead on the best team in the entire NBA. There is still lots of work to be done and it raises a serious question of who will get the opportunity to replace Herro in the starting unit?

Luckily, there are plenty of options. Both Victor Oladipo and Duncan Robinson have been waiting for an opportunity to rise up to the occasion. Caleb Martin and Kevin Love are also possibilities who have experience with the starting group. Haywood Highsmith goes under that same category, too.

If Love were to get inserted into the starting 5, that would bring Cody Zeller into the rotation mix as the back up center.

Martin and Love have been excelling off the bench and coming off a 15 point and 18 point outing in game 1, respectively. It could make sense to move Max Strus into the starting SG role and have either Love or Martin fill in at PF which they have both done this season. However, the Heat have played well with Strus as a small ball 4 to stretch the floor and especially have gotten great minutes from Love in a bench role.

At this point in the season it’s hard to imagine Highsmith getting a serious opportunity on a stage this big. Although he is an effective and versatile defender, he can be a liability on offense at times. For a team that struggles to score, it’s tough to imagine Spoelstra going that route with Highsmith who has been out of the rotation for quite some time.

Realistically, I see Oladipo and Robinson as the main two options.

Oladipo and Robinson are in similar situations. They both play the same position as Herro and have had their moments being in and out of the rotation throughout this season. More recently, they have both been getting DNP’s for the most part.

They are two players who are capable of starting in the playoffs and have done it before. Oladipo even acknowledged during training camp and at multiple points throughout the year that he knows he is a starter in this league.

Robinson was the starting SG in Miami for multiple seasons and even had some huge moments during that 2020 Finals run in the bubble.

He also got the start during the second half after Herro went down last game. In limited minutes he was able to knock down one corner three at the end of the 3rd quarter.

With all this being said, I think Victor Oladipo should and will start in Herro’s place for game 2 and potentially the rest of the team’s playoff run.

This is Dipo’s time, he has been patiently waiting and preparing for a moment like this to have an opportunity to showcase his talents. What better opportunity could the veteran SG and former 2X All-Star have than starting in the NBA playoffs?

Fans have seen moments of what Dipo is still capable of the last couple years. He still has that occasional burst offensively and he will always bring energy and hustle to the defensive end. Just a season ago we were all witnessing Oladipo put on the clamps on star players in a playoff atmosphere. Even if his shot isn’t hitting he is going to bring that dynamic defensively to the squad; something that Robinson can’t do.

Although he’s a streaky shooter and doesn’t have that shooters touch that Herro has, he is similar in his ball handling abilities and creation for himself and teammates. The issue that fans have seen with Dipo this year is when he tries to do too much.

I could see a potential Heat rotation looking like this for the most part:

Vincent, Oladipo, Butler, Strus, Adebayo with Lowry, Martin and Love off the bench.

If he lets the game just come to him naturally and finds a way to stay efficient, he can make a serious immediate impact. Even if his shots aren’t falling, using him as a facilitator to create offense off of drives to the lane and elite one on one defense can be huge for this team.

Going with Dipo as the starter keeps the current bench depth (which has looked real good) still in tact. Even with Oladipo potentially getting a starting opportunity, I could see Robinson getting some spot minutes at the end of quarters to add another 3 point threat and be that 9th man off the bench.

It will be very interesting to see how it plays out. Game 2 is set for tomorrow night at 9:00 PM ET.