Tyler Herro could provide the Miami Heat with much-needed support shortly despite their depressing 109-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, which temporarily eliminated them from sixth place in the Eastern Conference rankings.Zachary Weinberger, the Heat beat writer for ClutchPoints, reports that “Herro has traveled with the Heat to Houston for the three-game road trip.” This suggests that the 24-year-old guard, who has struggled with a number of injuries over the past year or so, may soon make his way back to the court.
The guard depth of the Heat has been severely tested, and it appears like head coach Erik Spoelstra is not a big fan of Delon Wright or Patty Mills, the two guards the Heat signed off the buyout market. Wright and Mills did not play a single minute in their Thursday night loss to the 76ers. Tyler Herro’s return will therefore be greatly appreciated, particularly by the Heat, who have only managed the 18th-best offense in the league since Herro’s prolonged absence.
Tyler Herro has only appeared in 36 games this season. He has missed 18 games in November and December alone, and his absence from the 76ers game on Thursday is his 20th straight missed game overall.
Herro has experienced lower-body issues this past year. In the roughly two months he was out of commission from November to December, he had to recover from a Grade 2 ankle injury he suffered in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 8. Herro missed just two games between December 18 and February 23, demonstrating little to no negative impact from his ankle ailment.
But Herro also dealt with foot and knee issues in late February; the official injury (based on his designation on the injury report) that has prevented him from playing for almost a quarter of the season is right foot tendonitis.
The Heat are now hoping that Tyler Herro will be well enough to support them in both their eventual playoff run and the final few games of the regular season. As you may remember, Herro missed all but one playoff game due to a fractured right hand during the previous campaign. Herro will be extremely helpful to the Heat in their attempts to recreate the magic of last season because he has a history of performing well in the postseason.
