Tyler Herro might be getting closer to his return to the Miami Heat lineup, but the guard is expected to be out at least another week after having his injured ankle re-evaluated this past weekend.
“The expectation is Herro will miss at least another week before returning to game action after his ankle was re-evaluated over the weekend,” wrote Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Though the 23-year-old did not take part in practice Monday, there looks to be reason for optimism. Herro reportedly took shots with assistant coaches after practice, and head coach Erik Spoelstra provided some encouraging words.
“It’s trending in the right direction,” Spoelstra said of Herro’s recovery on Monday.
Herro has not played since injuring his ankle on Nov. 8 in the first quarter of a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. After a 1-4 start to the season, a victory in that game got Miami back to .500 at 4-4, and the Heat have fared even better since then.
A seven-game winning streak – and nine wins in 10 games – pushed their record to 10-5. But back-to-back road losses to the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, respectively, on Friday and Saturday stunted the momentum somewhat and showed the Heat, who are now 10-7, cannot thrive without one of their top scorers forever.
Herro was Miami’s leading scorer in five of its first six games and is averaging 22.9 points per game in eight appearances. It was an encouraging start following an offseason of dealing with constant trade rumors that seemingly signaled he would be leaving Miami.
The Heat are dealing with multiple other injuries as they head into a key NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Tuesday.
Jimmy Butler reportedly did not take part in practice Monday. Bam Adebayo (hip) and Duncan Robinson (thumb) participated fully, and Haywood Highsmith (back) was a partial participant.
It’s possible the Heat could turn to Nikola Jovic for additional contributions after a disappointing start to his season. After spending some time in the G League, the 20-year-old on Monday had to clarify some comments made to Serbian media that were apparently taken out of context.
The Heat need to defeat the Bucks to have a better chance of advancing in the In-Season Tournament. The quarterfinals for that event are scheduled for Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, so it’s possible the Heat could have Herro available should they get there.
