Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro could miss his first game of the season.
The team recently reported that the fourth-year pro is questionable for the team’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers because of an ankle sprain.
It is unclear when Herro sustained the injury. Hopefully, he can recover in time for the Monday contest, which Miami will host.
The Heat have had a lackluster start to the season, winning just four of their first 10 games. They had a chance to get back up to .500 on Friday when they visited the Indiana Pacers and lost by just three points.
Herro finished with a game-high 29 points, but his last-second shot from beyond the arc missed, allowing Indiana to escape with the victory. Had he converted the attempt, it would have marked the second time in the same number of games that Herro hit a clutch shot.
On Wednesday, Miami matched up against the Sacramento Kings. With the game tied 107-107, the University of Kentucky product made a 3-pointer with little time left to give the Heat the win.
The team was fortunate that the referees did not see him commit a traveling violation before the attempt. The league admitted that the officials missed the call.
If Herro cannot play on Monday, Miami will need other players to step up to make up for the 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game he is averaging this season. The starting shooting guard is also contributing 2.4 3-pointers per match.
A silver lining could come in the form of a Jimmy Butler return. The Heat superstar is now off the team’s injury report after missing two games with a hip injury.
What starting lineup the Heat will roll on out Monday remains to be seen. Whatever the case, fans are hoping that there will be enough scoring from the team, something it has struggled with so far in this campaign. Miami is averaging just 108.1 points per game, which currently ranks 26th in the league.