The Miami Heat are hoping to get back to the NBA Finals after a dramatic run to the championship series from the play-in tournament, and it’s looking like that might be something they’ll have to do again this season. The Heat are hoping they’ll have star shooting guard Tyler Herro around for most of this year’s playoff run after he missed last year’s campaign with a hand injury. The problem is this time, Herro is dealing with a foot issue as the regular season starts coming to a close. Here are the latest updates on Herro and how it impacts Miami.
Tyler Herro injury news
Herro missed his ninth straight game Wednesday against the Nuggets in a Finals rematch. Even though head coach Erik Spoelstra said the guard is progressing well, there’s no official timetable for his return. The Heat are about to go on a road trip and have a back-to-back set Sunday and Monday, so it’s tricky to plan a return here. Miami’s best bet to get Herro back if he’s nearly ready to play will be next Friday when they take on the Pelicans at home.
Playoff implications for Heat
The Heat don’t care about playoff positioning as long as they can get into the field. They’ve clearly been able to match up well against any opponent regardless of seeding, so the important thing will be to get healthy. Miami has played through injuries to key players for most of the last two seasons, so this roster is capable of withstanding some bad health. However, Herro coming back and playing in the postseason could be the difference between a first-round exit and another deep run. After all, the Heat don’t have some of the key contributors they did a year ago. They’ll need Herro’s scoring and three-point shooting when the games really start to count.
Betting/fantasy impact
As long as Herro stays on the bench, the Heat will have to rely on the likes of Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic and Duncan Robinson for scoring. Martin and Robinson are likely to maintain their positions in the rotation, and newcomer Terry Rozier has eased some of the pain of Herro’s injury. Jovic has the most to lose when Herro does come back. When it comes to betting on the Heat, it’s hard to predict how this team will do in a regular season game anymore. The East playoff and play-in picture is largely set, so the Heat know they just have to make the final field and then turn things on. That makes them a risky bet for the rest of the regular season, especially when they are favored.