For the ninth time in their last 10 games, the Miami Heat played without Tyler Herro due to injury. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra shared worrying news regarding Herro’s return from a toe contusion.
Speaking to reporters before the Heat’s 142-116 win over the Indiana Pacers, Spoelstra shared an update on Herro’s recovery. The two-time NBA champion coach revealed that the Heat’s All-Star guard has no timetable for a return.
However, Spoelstra also dropped additional information that should alleviate concerns.
“He’s definitely making progress. I don’t have a timeline for you, but I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing,” Spoelstra said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Herro has only played in six games this season after missing the first 17 games due to offseason ankle surgery. He underwent a procedure to alleviate a condition called posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle, as per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk.
The 25-year-old guard returned on November 24 against the Dallas Mavericks and played the next five games. He then missed the next two contests because of a right toe contusion before playing on December 9 in Miami’s loss to the Orlando Magic.
Herro Explains How Toe Injury Happened
Speaking to The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang in the second week of December, Tyler Herro shared how he injured his right toe. Herro revealed that it happened early in the Heat’s game against the Magic. It was a weird injury because he was kicked in his calf.
“I’m just day by day right now. Not sure what happened. I got a little soreness in my big toe. I got kicked in the 1st quarter the other night in the back of my calf, then I woke up, and my big toe was hurting. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is,” Herro said.
Herro previously suffered a toe injury on December 3 against the Dallas Mavericks. He underwent an MRI and was diagnosed with a toe contusion. It was initially thought of as a minor injury, so he returned after just two games on the sidelines.
However, it seems like the contact with his calf aggravated his toe injury. He underwent another MRI after the Magic game and was diagnosed with a toe contusion again, but the Heat are being more cautious.
Jaime Jaquez, Norman Powell Stepping Up for Heat
With Tyler Herro sidelined for the majority of the season, Erik Spoelstra has no other choice but to look for other players to generate his offense. Spoelstra introduced a new-look offense this season, which has had mixed results after teams began to figure them out this month.
Nevertheless, Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been the main beneficiary of the new offense. Jaquez is averaging 16.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists off the bench. Norman Powell is putting up 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals.
As for ball-handling duties, Davion Mitchell has started at point guard for the majority of the season. Mitchell is averaging 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and a career-high 7.4 assists per game.
Bam Adebayo is having a bad shooting season since he has more attempts from beyond the arc. Pelle Larsson, Kel’el Ware and Andrew Wiggins have also carved out important roles in Spoelstra’s rotation.
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