For the Miami Heat, things will not get easier anytime soon.
Not only are they in the throws of an extended slump, but now it looks like they’ll be without one of their blue-chip rookies for a while.
Tyler Herro has been one of the keys to Miami’s surprising 36-22 record so far this season. The University of Kentucky product is averaging 13.1 points a game this season while making 39.3 percent of his 3-pointers.
He has come up big in crunch time on a number of occasions this season, so much so that he’s earned the trust of Jimmy Butler and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
It’s not often that a non-lottery pick rookie gains that much trust, especially from a star like Butler who’s infamously hard to please.
Herro suffered a right ankle injury against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 3. He’s been out since then, and without him the Heat have lost seven of nine games.
They’re now tied with the Sixers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
If Herro does indeed miss multiple more weeks of action, the Heat could very well be without home-court advantage all throughout the playoffs.