Tyler Herro took to social media to show his progress as he inches closer to his return to the Miami Heat lineup.
Herro is targeting either Monday or Wednesday to get back in action after being sidelined since Nov. 8 because of an ankle injury. Videos showed the 23-year-old working out with weights and going through some basketball activities as he ramps up toward his return.
The University of Kentucky product was off to a good start this season with averages of 22.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in his eight appearances.
That was encouraging as it came after a tumultuous offseason in which Herro was consistently mentioned in trade rumors, primarily as part of a possible deal with the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year also was returning from a hand injury suffered in Miami’s opening game of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Of course, the Heat were unable to land Lillard or other targets such as Jrue Holiday and Bradley Beal, which made Herro an even more important piece for Miami entering the 2023-24 NBA season.
The guard led the Heat in scoring in each game of an early four-game losing streak that got them off to a 1-4 start. They reached 4-4 with a win against the Memphis Grizzlies in the game that Herro was injured in the first quarter.
Miami has gone 10-7 without Herro and enters its game Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls with a 14-11 record that has the team in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat will play Saturday without Bam Adebayo again, who is out with a left hip contusion. The big man has not played since Nov. 30.
However, Josh Richardson and Nikola Jovic will be available for the Heat against the Bulls. Richardson did not play in games Wednesday or Thursday, and Jovic is back after a stint in the G League.
Miami has shown it remains a contender for the conference title even without Herro, and having him back should improve its prospects even further as the season continues to move along.
