Getty Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat broke his hand against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Miami Heat suffered a significant loss in the first game of their playoff matchup against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks despite walking away with a win.
While trying to snag a loose ball before it went out of bounds, starting shooting guard Tyler Herro broke his hand in two places and is expected to miss significant time during the Heat’s playoff run. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Herro “broke the middle and ring finger on his shooting hand and is expected to be out approximately 4-6 weeks.”
That rules him out fopr the remainder of the series and likely the playoffs. Thus, Miami is set to take on the Bucks in Milwaukee for Game 2, and it will have to do it without its third-best scorer.
Caleb Martin Would Be ‘Defensive Upgrade’ Over Tyler Herro
Duncan Robinson came in to replace Herro in Game 1, but his defense is beyond suspect, and Milwaukee won’t waste any time eating him alive if he stays in too long. Caleb Martin is far less of a defensive liability than either Herro or Robinson, and he could see his playing time increase in Herro’s absence.
“Martin has played as a reserve since the late-February All-Star break but was solid in his 14:39 in Sunday’s second half, scoring 10 points over the final two periods on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the line. While more Martin wouldn’t necessarily compensate for the loss of Herro’s scoring, it would add a defensive upgrade to the mix,” Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wrote on April 17.
Herro started 67 games for the Heat last season, averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 34.9 minutes per game (stats via Basketball Reference). Robinson is averaging 6.4 points in just over 16 minutes a game, while Martin is netting 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 29.3 minutes a game.
Herro and Martin play different positions, but due to his physicality and stingy defense, the Heat will likely increase Martin’s minutes, particularly against the Bucks, who are very physical and active in the paint.
Caleb Martin with the reverse layup through contact 👀👀👀
Heat Players Respond to Tyler Herro’s Injury
After Herro broke his hand, he had to stay in the game until a timeout could be called, and at one point he even took a shot from beyond the arc while in obvious pain. He didn’t make the shot, but his grit was evident, and so was the respect he earned from his teammates, who are clearly going to miss him.
“Tyler going down, obviously, that firepower that he brings to the table for us is tough for us,” veteran forward Kevin Love said, per The Miami Herald. “Many guys stepped up in his absence, but we’re going to need to find that scoring with him out.”
“You can’t fully make up what Tyler has been for our team all year long, but guys got to step up, including myself, including Bam [Adebayo] and whoever Spo calls upon to do an offensive assignment, a defensive assignment, to bring some energy, to dive on the floor, get a loose ball or rebound,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said about Herro, via ESPN, adding: “It’s like all hands on deck at all times, now more than ever.”
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