Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro reportedly is targeting Monday, Dec. 18 or Wednesday Dec. 20 as his return date from his ankle injury.
The former Sixth Man of the Year has not played since Nov. 8 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Heat play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 18 and the Orlando Magic on Dec. 20. Both of those teams are off to strong starts this season, so getting Herro back in action would be a massive lift for Miami.
It was previously reported that Herro and Bam Adebayo would both return before the end of the month. Adebayo is dealing with a hip injury.
Due to the ankle injury Herro has been limited to just eight games this season for Miami.
The former University of Kentucky star had been playing some great basketball for the Heat, scoring at least 22 points in six straight games before playing just 8:10 on Nov. 8 against Memphis.
Herro was unfortunately involved in trade rumors (mainly for Damian Lillard) in the offseason, but he has not let that impact his play for the Heat this season. The young guard is averaging 22.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from 3 for Miami this season.
The Heat hold the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into their matchup with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The team has done a solid job of winning basketball games even with key players like Herro and Adebayo sidelined.
Last season, Herro missed the majority of Miami’s run to the NBA Finals after he was injured in the first round of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The team is hoping that he can stay healthier this season – especially if the Heat make the playoffs – since Miami lost two key rotation players in Gabe Vincent (signed with the Los Angeles Lakers) and Max Strus (dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade) this past offseason.
It’s huge for the Heat that Herro will return closer to the middle of the month rather than the end, as it should give the team’s offense a much-needed scoring boost.
Herro had averaged over 20 points per game in back-to-back seasons entering the 2023-24 campaign.
It will be interesting to see which game Herro ends up suiting up for next week for his return.