The Miami Heat could not have asked for a better postseason run to this point when it comes to overall results. Miami cruised through the Milwaukee Bucks, survived Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks, and currently sits one victory away from another trip to the NBA Finals.
No one could have expected such an outcome when the Heat had their backs against the wall in the final Play-In Tournament game against the Chicago Bulls. This is especially true considering their injury situation.
Heat guards Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo suffered significant injuries in the first round of the playoffs against Milwaukee and haven’t returned. Oladipo will certainly be out for the playoffs; however, what about Herro as he continues to recover from his broken shooting hand?
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Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro receives promising news on injured right hand
There was optimism for Herro entering the NBA Playoffs but those hopes were quickly dashed when he dove for a loose ball and broke his hand in Game 1 of the Milwaukee series. In fact, the Heat guard stayed in the game for another possession and shot the ball with his broken hand.
Herro ran off the court and that was the last time he has been in uniform for a game. The Heat announced he underwent successful right-hand surgery on April 21 and was set to miss a minimum of six weeks.
While the Heat continued to break the hearts of opposing teams in the playoffs, Herro continued to shed more of the cast on his right hand until it was completely gone. Now, Miami has released a promising update on its young star.
Herro has been cleared to resume non-contact basketball activities ahead of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals. This now creates the possibility that he could participate in the NBA Finals if the Heat close out the Celtics.
Well, that would be the best-case scenario for every party involved. According to Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, a return for Herro cannot be ruled out; however, it is not considered likely at this point in time.
If Herro were to somehow miss exactly six weeks, he would be able to return for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. As of now, there is no definitive timetable for his return but it is important to note that significant progress has been made overall.
It will be interesting to see if Herro can beat the odds and return if Miami advances to the NBA Finals. For now, the door is still open and the Heat will definitely be hoping they can receive a massive scoring boost off the bench sooner rather than later.