Miami Heat star Tyler Herro made headlines this week when his words about former teammate Jimmy Butler were taken out of context. With social media running with the narrative that Herro needed Butler to win, the 25-year-old suggests that is far from the truth.

Jimmy Butler was traded at the deadline after months of angst within the organization. His antics of missing flights, pulling himself from games, dying his hair to match his preferred list of new teams, and creating controversy with every media appearance, Butler wasn’t a joy to be around — because he lost his joy and was convinced he wouldn’t find it in Miami. Therefore, the Heat agreed on terms with the Golden State Warriors to send Butler to the Bay Area.

From that moment, the organizations went in two different directions. The Warriors would capture the energy of Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry playing alongside one another to launch themselves into the 7th seed in a competitive Western Conference. The Heat struggled to make the play-in tournament in a weaker Eastern Conference, only to be swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. The Warriors are currently up 3-2 in their first round series against the 2-seed Houston Rockets.

It shocked a lot of people to know the tea brewing in the Miami Heat locker room. Jimmy Butler once personified Heat Culture for two NBA Finals runs, and now he’s trying to destroy it with the drama. So many people didn’t expect the Heat to finish the season without Jimmy Butler… not even Tyler Herro.

Tyler Herro addressed his comments by saying: “I said I had came into the season thinking I was playing off of Jimmy, to him getting [traded] and I had to switch my mindset from needing Jimmy to me being the lead guy, and I spoke about the things I learned from JB … Never said I need anyone to win games.” (Bleacher Report, from Tyler Herro’s Instagram post)

For Herro, it is a mentality switch. Herro went from being the #2 option to a #1 overnight, and that is a huge undertaking. The reality of the business is that Herro has to make that switch or he won’t take that leap everyone wants him to.

Herro had career-highs in PPG (23.9), shooting percentage (47.2%), and APG (5.5) this season in his first All-Star bid. While Herro’s leap provides optimism, he must continue to call upon his own number and show up when the stage demands it.

Tyler Herro was in the middle of trade rumors for years, with fans playing “MyGM” mode to pair Jimmy Butler with another star, like a Damian Lillard who would be traded to Milwaukee instead. Instead, Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra knew what they had in Herro and have invested time and energy into his potential.

Now, fans wonder if Tyler Herro will receive a fellow All-Star caliber player in the next 1-2 years to help him take this Heat squad back to the NBA Finals. But until then, Tyler should take the responsibility and prove he could do it all by himself.

As much as fans want to reminisce on the 2020 and 2023 NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler is not walking through that door in a Heat uniform anytime soon. Tyler Herro is the man you kept around. Now Herro is going to have to lift his teammates up like Butler demonstrated all of those years.

Tyler, you may not need anyone to win games. This offseason, you will have to put in the effort to give evidence to your statement. The work begins now to prove you don’t need Jimmy Butler or anyone else to be your “Herro.”