If Tyler Herro wants to return for the Miami Heat this season from his broken hand, he will need the team to make it to the NBA Finals.
NBA insider Chris Haynes indicated (at the 14:20 mark) to co-host Marc Stein on their podcast that Herro’s injury is bad enough to keep him out for an extended period.
“I’m being told that it would take the Heat making it to the NBA Finals for Tyler to have a chance at a comeback,” Haynes said.
On Tuesday, Herro said that he will undergo surgery on his injured hand on Friday. The talented guard also confirmed Haynes’ report.
The injury to Herro on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks dealt a severe blow to the Heat’s chances of getting back to the Finals. Last season, the Heat fell one game short of reaching the Finals, as they lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Finding a way to replace his offensive production will be difficult, though the Heat have no other choice but to move forward.
It was during Herro’s rookie season that he played a key role in helping the Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals. That postseason witnessed the unprecedented situation of completing the regular season and entire playoffs in a protective bubble.
Herro was taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky and quickly showed with his shooting touch and focused mentality that the Heat’s faith in him wasn’t misplaced.
Even though Herro has often been the subject of trade talk, his game hasn’t suffered. He’s been a consistently effective 3-point option for the Heat and developed into one of the best free-throw shooters in the NBA.
Evidence of his skills at the foul line can be seen from this season’s numbers. He made 170 of his 182 attempts at the charity stripe during the regular season for a league-best 93.4 percent mark.
The Heat were already facing a stiff challenge in trying to beat the Bucks, and Herro’s absence won’t help that cause. If the team does advance, it will still have two more teams to get past before even thinking about having Herro available again.
Miami is more than likely focused on Game 2 of its series against the Bucks, which will take place on Wednesday night.