Can Adebayo's punch unlock Herro's full potential?

This offseason, Tyler Herro came into the spotlight in a somewhat peculiar way. He was traded to the Bucks as part of the Giannis deal, which for Herro wasn't a poor outcome—the Bucks are based in Wisconsin, his hometown, allowing him to feel more connected.

But during the Summer League, a clash between Adebayo and Herro was imminent. Because Herro kept posting comments on a burner account targeting his former teammates after leaving the team, Adebayo confronted Herro face-to-face. In the heated argument, Adebayo lost his patience and threw a punch at Herro. Based on photos taken afterward, the punch clearly struck Herro in the face.

After the two were quickly separated, the incident had no further consequences, and the NBA will not impose any penalties on either player. It's just lamentable that teammates who were once so close on the court came to blows just days after parting ways. Next season, when the Bucks face the Heat, besides the matchup of Giannis against his former team, there will also be the added intrigue of Herro vs. Adebayo.

Herro's career with the Heat was essentially a case of starting strong and then fading. In his rookie season, he made a name for himself in the playoffs, tearing through the Eastern Conference playoffs, and going toe-to-toe with LeBron James in the Finals, becoming the youngest starter in Finals history. If Harper had started in this year's Finals, he would have broken that record, but Harper has always been a bench player, so the record still belongs to Herro.

Herro's on-court demeanor perfectly matched the Heat's tough team culture. Few rookies have shown the same confidence as Herro. After his rookie season, many considered him the future cornerstone of the Heat. However, his subsequent progress fell short of expectations.

Whether as a sixth man or a starter, Herro never developed reliable ball-handling abilities. He can run pick-and-rolls, but he mostly chooses to score himself rather than involve teammates, with a career-high of 5.5 assists per game. He built his reputation on mid-range shooting, but later shifted to a more analytics-driven style, though his three-point consistency never caught up, and his driving ability is not top-tier.

After Butler finally left, Herro failed to show sufficient leadership ability. He could score, but he couldn't lead the team to wins. Eventually, both the Heat and fans accepted Herro's role as a starting-caliber scorer but not a backcourt core. Poor defense will always cap his ceiling. After he won the Sixth Man of the Year award and became a starter, people realized that the best role for Herro was still the sixth man.

Coming off the bench as a sixth man means he can face the opposing team's reserves, a lineup with weaker defense. In that role, he doesn't need to worry about setting up teammates—just focus on scoring. In limited minutes, his job is to put up as many points as possible.

But someone with Herro's personality will never be content with being a bench player forever. Yet he lacked the ability to take the next step, so the Heat gave up on him early, though he remained on the team. Last season, due to various injuries, he played only 33 games. A guard with mediocre scoring, poor defense, and frequent injuries has limited trade value. Herro's biggest role in the trade was essentially matching Giannis's salary.

Besides Herro, the Heat also included Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Yakuchonis, three first-round picks, one first-round swap, and one second-round pick. Next season will be decisive for Herro.

He signed a four-year, $120 million contract in 2023, and next season the $33 million salary will be the final year. The Bucks have not shown any intention of offering a contract extension this offseason, making it clear that his next contract will depend on his on-court performance.

Herro should have a good environment with the Bucks. The 10th pick, Boris, was impressive in the Summer League, but he will likely start the season as Herro's backup. Herro will have some offensive freedom and may even see a career-high in shot attempts, considering that even in his highest-volume season with the Heat, he averaged less than 18 shots per game.

Herro has only proven that he cannot be a team's core, but if the task is simply to carry the scoring load and put up points, he is capable of it. After all, he is still a shooting guard with career averages of 45% from the field and 38.2% from three. Without the pressure of winning, Herro might actually have his best season yet.

Furthermore, the Bucks' new head coach, Taylor Jenkins, may not be the best coach for a strong team, but he is definitely an excellent rebuilding coach. He was the architect of the Grizzlies during the Ja Morant era, leading them back to the playoffs, and his ability to handle short-handed rosters is particularly notable. The Bucks' record next season might not see a huge drop.

In an interview, Herro said, "I might be coming here with the strongest motivation to prove myself in my career so far. Obviously, some people might think we can't win many games, but we think the complete opposite. We want to win as many games as possible and start building a team culture from day one."

If Adebayo's punch could unlock Herro's potential and make him see the light, it would be a "great merit" indeed.