Getty Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra shared the latest on Tyler Herro’s hand injury with the media, as the team’s Eastern Conference Finals opener against the Boston Celtics grows closer.
“The good thing about a hand is that you’re able to do other things with that,” Spoelstra told reporters on Monday. “But he can’t shoot, he can’t dribble… He won’t be playing on Wednesday. Is that fair enough?”
Coach Spo provides an update on Tyler Herro’s hand injury
Herro hasn’t been able to take the floor for the Heat, ever since breaking his hand in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16.
The week after breaking his hand, Herro gave an update on the ailment to “The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s” Ira Winderman.
“I’ll get surgery on Friday morning [April 21] and it’s going to be four to six weeks, hopefully less, after that, and see what happens,” he said. “They said it would be more toward the [NBA] Finals, not the conference finals, just because of the rehab I’d have to do after surgery,” he explained. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s the hope, get to the Finals, and I can come back for that. But obviously just taking it one day at a time, get my surgery on Friday and go from there.”
Herro officially passed the four week threshold on May 12, meaning that a return against the Celtics wouldn’t be the wildest thing.
Plus, Spoelstra’s nod about him being “able to do other stuff” while his hand is broken can’t be bad. Typically when players come off of injuries, the biggest hurdle towards returning is conditioning. With just a broken hand, Herro could have been jogging and doing other cardio for at least the past few weeks to get his stamina back.
Heat’s Tyler Herro Spotted Without Cast
Herro made a big stride towards his return, towards the beginning of Miami’s second-round meeting with the New York Knicks. The 23-year-old had been sporting a hot pink cast on the injured hand, which was on full display during Game 1 at Madison Square Garden.
Shout out Duncan Robinson never being too old to sign a cast
Just days later, Miami’s No. 14 was spotted without the cast, during an appearance at his “Boy Wonder World Lifestyle” brand launch on May 4. His wrist was only supported by a light brace at the event.
The addition of Herro would certainly be helpful for the Heat, as they continue to pursue a title. His 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game this season, would be a welcome sight for the team and its fans. Not to mention that he’d provide additional shooting with his 37.8% from distance.
Heat Given Just 3% Chance to Beat Celtics
With the series set to tip on Wednesday night, many are making predictions on who will advance. The one that came from ESPN’s analytics team was about as disrespectful as it gets for the Heat.
The network tweeted a graphic showing Miami as only having a 3% chance to advance past Boston to the NBA Finals.
“The Miami Heat have a 3% chance of reaching the NBA Finals, according to ESPN Analytics,” the tweet read.
The Miami Heat have a 3% chance of reaching the NBA Finals, according to ESPN Analytics 😮
