Tyler Herro Misses Jimmy Butler's Presence After Miami Heat Got Swept By Cleveland Cavaliers in Playoffs Opening Round

Things at the South Beach did not go as planned this Playoffs. After Jimmy Butler found his way out of the team following six seasons, the Miami Heat have barely made it through in the league. At first, they struggled in the Play-Ins, only to get a lucky win against the Atlanta Hawks and progress to the Playoffs as an 8th seed. However, nobody knew facing the number one seed Cleveland Cavaliers could turn out to be fatally crushing for the Heat's playoff ambitions.

As of now, Miami Heat has been knocked out of the playoffs as the Cavs swept the series and progressed to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. By far, this was one of the most lopsided series in playoff history. After a staggering blowout in Game 4 of the series, the fans have now turned against franchise god father Pat Riley and have started to take Jimmy Butler's side.

One of the players who dearly misses Butler in such moments is Tyler Herro. Herro wasn't particularly impressive in this series, being merely a shadow of himself from the regular season. When asked about what difference Butler could have made for the team, Herro believes Miami would not even be an eighth seed if Butler had led the team to the postseason.

Tyler Herro Speaks on Missing Jimmy Butler Ahead of Game 3 vs Cavs

Tyler Herro has not particularly been impressive in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Averaging 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, Herro contributed in double digits for the first three games and could only score 4 points and one rebound in the Heat's recent Game 4 blowout.

Ahead of Game 3, Herro had realized Jimmy Butler was the X-factor that the Heat needed to carry them through the playoffs. In fact, since Jimmy Butler's arrival, the Heat went to two NBA Finals and were one of the most feared teams in the NBA. As per The Athletic's Jared Weiss, Herro said,

Under Butler's leadership, the Miami Heat were a playoff contender hard to reckon with. At the same time, Butler also helped young stars such as Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Caleb Martin to flourish under his entourage and become the stars that we know of them today.

After a nasty breakup with the Heat's front office and Pat Riley, Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors in the last trade deadline. Since then, he has become an important piece for the Dubs and has been playing a crucial role supporting Stephen Curry.

Butler's prowess on both ends of the floor has what guaranteed a rather ageing and faltering GSW the edge that they needed ahead of the postseason. As of now, the Warriors are besting against the Houston Rockets to close out on the series and progress to the second round.