Miami Heat star guard Tyler Herro has been sidelined for nearly two weeks. He hasn’t suited up for the team since suffering an ankle sprain against the Memphis Grizzlies back on Nov. 8.
But Herro has taken a big step in his comeback journey, as he is now no longer wearing a walking boot.
The 23-year-old was playing arguably the best basketball of his NBA career before he went down with the ankle injury. Across eight appearances with the Heat so far this season, Herro 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 behind the 3-point line.
Perhaps his best performance of the season thus far came in a loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks back on Oct. 30. He finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor and 2-of-5 shooting from outside the 3-point arc in 42 minutes of playing time.
The Heat have had no problem stringing together wins without one of their better offensive players in the lineup. Since Herro has been out for Miami, the team owns a terrific 4-1 record with wins over the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets.
The Heat won all of those games by single digits.
Miami’s only loss since losing Herro came against the Chicago Bulls — who own a poor 5-9 record — on Nov. 18. Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined to score 49 points, but the team still went on to lose by five points thanks to a solid performance from DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan scored a team-high 23 points for the Bulls and shot 6-of-12 from the field. Also, he attempted 13 free throws and converted nine of them.
The Heat will face off against the Bulls once again on Monday night. Herro will not make his return to the lineup against the Bulls, but the fact that he is no longer wearing a walking boot hints at the notion that he will be back on the floor for the Miami in the near future.