When the Miami Heat and Tyler Herro agreed to a four-year, $130-million contract extension – which was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski citing Herro's agents, Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman – it sent some interesting messages.

First, Herro may begin to play as a starter instead of a "sixth man" during the 2022-23 season. Herro has only started 33 times in 175 appearances for the Heat since the team drafted him with the 13th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 20.7 points, five rebounds, four assists and 2.7 triples per game during the 2021-22 campaign.

Herro's new contract will take effect from the 2023-24 season and start at $27 million. No Sixth Man of the Year has ever made that much annually, even after the salary cap difference is ignored. Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom and Jordan Clarkson have all been prominent "sixth men," but none have come close to making Herro's figure.

Herro's 20.7 points ranked 21st in the NBA last season. None of the players above him on the list played a single game off the bench during the regular season. The 33 players below him were also steady members of their teams' starting rosters. Clarkson, who started in one of his 79 games, averaged 16 points and ranked 55th on the list, was the closest bench scorer to Herro.

Herro was the Heat's second leading scorer last season with the highest usage rate of 28.8 percent, above both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, during the regular season. It's very obvious that coach Erik Spoelstra wanted him to do more than score. His assist number, assist percentage, offensive and defensive win shares, box plus/minus and value over replacement player all rose.

Unfortunately, Herro's growth failed to continue in the postseason. He somehow "forgot" how to make 3-pointers during the playoffs. As a result, his average points dropped to 12.6 per game while the Heat were struggling badly on the offensive front when the backup unit was on the court.

If Herro is added to the starting lineup, he may not need to rush to orchestrate on offense during the 2022-23 season because Kyle Lowry is likely to remain in Miami for at least for one more season. Both Butler and Adebayo can shoulder some duties in that area. However, the Heat will need Herro to score more because of Lowry's offensive limitations; Adebayo has proved himself unreliable in scoring against playoff-level competition; Butler has had some highlights, but consistency has always been his shortcoming.

Herro is the Heat's only steady scorer with accuracy. He has already shown the potential to become an isolation scorer who can shoot off the dribble in the mid-range. This season, he will need to be more productive.

If Herro is put in the starting lineup, Duncan Robinson is likely to be sent to the bench or be traded. Both Herro and Robinson are defensive deadweight. Even with their first-class zone defense, the Heat are not able to hide both weaknesses, especially in the playoffs. In fact, Robinson was already half-abandoned by the team during the playoffs last season since he could neither guard anyone nor make shots from downtown.

The deal Herro received may also become a new standard for players like him – remarkable scorer but terrible defender – in extension negotiations with their teams. Jordan Poole, who started 51 of his 76 games for the Golden State Warriors last season partly because of Klay Thompson's absence – shares a lot in common with Herro.

Poole was drafted in 2019 by the Warriors with the 28th pick. He averaged 18.5 points, four assists and 2.8 triples during the regular season. He performed much better than Herro in the playoffs, but still only started in five of his 22 appearances because of his poor defense.

Like Herro, Poole is eligible to sign an extension with the Warriors before the October 17 deadline. He is unlikely to get a five-year rookie maximum deal which can be worth up to $188 million. Nonetheless, if the Warriors see Poole as an integral part of the team for the future, Herro's new contract can be a reference for both Poole and the Warriors.