There was hope that the Miami Heat would get guard Tyler Herro back for Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but some new information suggests that Herro’s return may not be a sure thing.
Ros Gold-Onwude of ESPN spoke to Herro before Game 2 and revealed that Herro is still experiencing soreness and swelling in the right hand he broke in the first game of the playoffs. Herro also does not want to rush back and disrupt the team’s rhythm.
Reporting from #NBAFinals: I spoke with Tyler Herro ahead his Game 2 pregame routine and he told me he experiences both soreness and swelling in the right hand after shooting and he can feel the soreness when he’s making a “follow through” shooting motion. He also shared his…
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 5, 2023
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel went a step further and said one Heat source doubted Herro would play in the series at all.
A party familiar with process had told me over weekend that Tyler was not playing in this series. But that was just one of many familiar with situation, not enough to make it anything definitive. Just pointing out such sentiment is out there from those familiar with the process. https://t.co/qvJzm1D08I
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) June 5, 2023
This pretty clearly shows that Herro’s return is no sure thing, though there was some thought he might return for Game 2. A Game 3 return seems possible, but it also may be that he does not end up playing at all.
The Heat managed to get a split in Denver without Herro, thanks in part to some late heroics by Duncan Robinson. Any contribution from Herro has to be looked at as an unexpected boost at this point.
