Miami Heat star guard Tyler Herro suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game against Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tyler Herro lands on Jaren Jackson Jr.'s foot and hops back to the locker room with an apparent right ankle injury… pic.twitter.com/2XG1mGfzBZ
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) November 9, 2023
MRI results indicated that Herro is dealing with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
With Herro expected to be sidelined for the near future, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recently called on point guard Kyle Lowry to step up in his absence.
“With Tyler out,” Spoelstra said, “we don’t know how long that’ll be, but Kyle’s going to have to be really aggressive and give us some other options to be able to play some pick-and-rolls, and for him to create and get into the paint and do what he does.”
What makes Herro’s injury especially unfortunate is that he was off to a great start to the season. In eight appearances with the Heat this season, he’s 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 behind the 3-point line.
Despite being without Herro for the lion’s share of Wednesday’s game, the Heat still managed to beat the Grizzlies by a final score of 108-102 to pick up their fourth win of the season.
Heat big man Bam Adebayo starred on both ends of the floor against Memphis. He recorded 30 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in 36 minutes of playing time. Plus, he shot 8-of-15 from the field and 14-of-16 from the free-throw line.
Jackson was the top performer for the Grizzlies. He scored a team-high 28 points and knocked down half of his 18 shots from the field.
After starting the season off 1-4, the Heat have since won their last three games. Before beating the Grizzlies, Miami picked up wins against the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards.
Lowry doesn’t need to score at the level that Herro does, but as Spoelstra alluded to, it’s important that the 37-year-old serves as a reliable playmaking hub for the team in Herro’s absence.
The Heat will have a chance to win their fourth game in a row when they take on Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Saturday.
