The Miami Heat announced their injury report for Thursday night’s road matchup against the Washington Wizards. Among the four players listed, only one may see any time on the court.
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Heat injury report for tonight vs. Wizards. Ellington somewhat upgraded pic.twitter.com/WuB8DCZDkF
— Shandel Richardson (@ShandelRich) October 18, 2018
All four of the players have been dealing with their respective injuries for an extended period of time. Dion Waiters underwent his ankle surgery in January, with rehabilitation expected to take as long as 10 months. That time frame became a reality after he experienced a setback in his rehab.
James Johnson underwent his surgery in May and continues to work his way back. In the case of Justise Winslow, he was ruled out of the Heat’s Wednesday night opener in Orlando after experiencing hamstring trouble earlier in the week. However, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that holding out Winslow right now is more of a protective measure with the season having just begun.
Wayne Ellington also missed the Orlando contest after sitting out all of the team’s preseason matchups with the ankle issue.
The expected absences should result in more playing time for both Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr. Two seasons ago, McGruder started 65 games for a Heat team that was also plagued with multiple injuries.
Following Thursday night’s game, the Heat will return to Miami to prepare for their home opener on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. Their opponent will be the Charlotte Hornets, with the game scheduled to get underway just after 8 p.m. ET.
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