Andrew Buller-Russ
Down 3-1 in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, the Miami Heat have been without one of their key contributors for the entire series. In fact, Tyler Herro actually hasn’t played since Game 1 of the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, back on April 16.
Herro broke his right hand after playing just 19 minutes in the first half, cracking the door open for Duncan Robinson to re-enter the rotation. At the time of the injury, Herro was given a four-to-six week recovery period, and it appears his days of resting may be over.
On Monday, several hours ahead of Game 5’s tip-off, the Heat upgraded Herro’s playing status from out to questionable and now ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has an even better update. As long as Herro doesn’t experience a setback ahead of tonight’s tip-off, the Heat are expected to get their sharpshooting guard back in the lineup.
The 23-year-old started in all 67 regular season appearances he made for Miami, but it is unknown whether the Heat plan to re-insert him back into the starting lineup right away after a near two-month absence.
- Tyler Herro’s stats this season: 20.1 PPG, 4.2 APG, 5.4 RPG, 43% FG, 37% 3PT
Obviously the Heat would prefer to have their third-place scorer on the court, but they have managed to get this far in the playoffs without his contributions in the postseason thus far. In a perfect world for Miami, Herro’s return would help spark an offense that has gone cold against Denver.
Related: Why the Miami Heat should feel proud of their season even if they don’t win NBA title
