Getty Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat waits for a free throw during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on December 04, 2021.
The Miami Heat will face the Philadelphia 76ers without one of their leading scorers on Wednesday, December 15. Heat guard Tyler Herro was officially ruled out from playing long before tipoff, which is never a good sign.
Herro suffered a thigh contusion during the Heat’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, and while he was able to return to play briefly in the fourth quarter, head coach Erik Spoelstra revealed on Wednesday that the severity of this kind of injury, a bruised quadriceps on his right leg, sometimes takes a few days to show up.
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“Anybody that has an injury during a game, sometimes they can finish,” Spoelstra said of Herro continuing to play against the Cavaliers. “You never really can make an evaluation until how they feel the next day. And then oftentimes it’s two days later, how does somebody feel and how is the body responding. We’ll just continue to evaluate him every day.”
After the morning shootaround on Wednesday, Spoelstra noted that Herro still felt sore, but that he wasn’t being sent home from the team’s road trip. Before getting ruled out for the 76ers game, the 21-year-old has only missed three games thus far this season due to various reasons.
Herro was out on November 18 against the Washington Wizards (bruised wrist), on November 27 against the Chicago Bulls (body soreness), and most recently, the Heat’s tilt on November 29 against the Denver Nuggets (body soreness).
The Heat Will Only Have 10 Players Available Vs. the 76ers
Tyler Herro’s absence will mean that the Heat will be down to 10 men 😔
Herro’s absence is all the more worrisome as the Heat’s roster is already depleted. Miami is on the road without Jimmy Butler (bruised tailbone), Bam Adebayo (thumb), Markieff Morris (neck), and Caleb Martin (protocol), so if Herro needs to more than miss a few games, it won’t go unnoticed.
The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, and is very much in the conversation to be a candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
If the Kentucky alum keeps performing at this level, he could also be nominated for Most Improved Player, as well.
TYLER HERRO. PULL UP 3.
Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley named Herro as the Heat’s Most Improved Player thus far season on December 14. “ His numbers are essentially peaking across the board, including significant spikes in scoring, three-point shooting (2.7 triples), and pull-ups (3.6 per game, including 1.4 triples per game),” Buckley wrote.
“He went from dragging this offense down by 3.7 points per 100 possessions to pumping it up by 4.1. The Heat never really knew what to expect from him last season. Now, they’re counting on him to play a critical role in this offense every night.”
First matchup of the season vs. Philly
Helping replace Herro, the Heat called up their two-way player, Marcus Garrett, from the G League. Other Heat players suiting up against the 76ers include Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, Duncan Robinson, Dewayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, KZ Okpala, Omer Yurtseven, and Udonis Haslem.
Contusions, One of the Most Common Sports Injuries, Can Have Vastly Different Recovery Times
Contusions are one of the most common injuries in contact sports, per Physopedia.com, however, the severity, whether it’s a bruised bone or bruised muscle, can have vastly different recovery times.
Heat’s sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who suffered a right knee contusion on November 20, exited the game against the Wizards and was unable to return.
However, Robinson didn’t need to miss any playing time and was right back in the mix when the Heat took on the Detroit Pistons three days later.
Back in the lab. #SpoKnows
Ex-Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, was not so lucky after he suffered a right knee contusion during training camp. While he was initially only going to miss 2-3 weeks, Nunn likely won’t return until 2022, per SB Nation.
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