David Chao, MD
2 min read • June 06, 2023
Posted in
Update: The Heat ruled Herro out for Game 3 as he continues to recover from his broken right hand. The Pro Basketball Docs maintain that Herro should be medically ready to play at this point. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday that Herro has not been cleared for contact.
Tied in the series 1-1 heading into Game 3, the Heat may have to wait a little longer before geting starting shooting guard Tyler Herro back for the first time in nearly two months.
The former Sixth Man of the Year has not played since suffering a broken right hand on April 16 against the Milwaukee Bucks, but is essentially medically ready to return to the court, according to the Pro Basketball Docs.
Herro recently told ESPN's Ros Gold-Onwude that he still has stiffness and soreness in his right hand and also expressed consideration of not wanting to mess up the team's current rhythm.
If and when Herro plays in the NBA Finals will be up to head coach Erik Spoelstra, who has maneuvered his team to its first Finals in four seasons despite the losses of Herro and fellow guard Victor Oladipo.
Several role players have stepped up to make up for the loss of that production off the bench, including Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson.
Disrupting those rotations is a delicate balance and Herro doesn’t offer as much help on the defensive end as any of those three.
Ever since Herro underwent hand surgery on April 21, the Pro Basketball Docs projected that his postseason would not be done if Miami was able to make it deep into the playoffs.
Now nearly as deep as a season can get, it will be up to Spoelstra whether he wants to drastically change his rotation or just feature Herro in key moments off the bench,
With Herro during the regular season, the Heat scored 114.6 points per game in the final 19 games.
With 19 games played in the playoffs they average 109.7 points per game.
However, Miami is allowing 107 points to opponents in the playoffs compared to 109.8 points per game during the regular season.
Those extra points saved on the defensive end could be crucial against the offensive juggernaut Denver Nuggets led by Nikola Jokic.
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Written by David Chao, MD
