Is Tyler Herro playing tonight against Nuggets? Latest injury update on Heat's guard ahead of matchup (12th June 2023)
Tyler Herro remains out of the Miami Heat's rotation heading into Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as confirmed by the team's injury report. Tyler Herro, 23, was expected to return in Game 3, however, he is still recovering from his broken hand from the first round of the playoffs.
On April 21, Herro underwent surgery on his hand, and the team remained hopeful that he could potentially return to the rotation before the end of the postseason. However, with the Miami Heat now one game away from elimination, it would appear that we have seen the last of Herro for the 2022-23 NBA Season.
During a June 8 press conference, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra discussed Herro's injury struggle, noting how the young guard is working through the stages of recovery.
“This is just part of the process. You have to go through stages. First part of it was just shooting, then movement, then contact versus coaches, and then the next level of contact in practice. He has not been cleared for a game and he’s still not cleared yet."
Tyler Herro has been a big part of the Miami Heat's rotation this year, participating in 67 regular-season games, averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He has been shooting 43.9% from the field and 37.8% from deep.
Fortunately for Miami, Herro's absence hasn't limited his team too much, as they still managed to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics en route to their second NBA Finals appearance in three years.
Jimmy Butler remains motivated ahead of Game 5
When speaking to the media during a recent press conference, Jimmy Butler discussed how he continues to believe that his Miami Heat team can be crowned NBA champions.
“It’s at an all-time high just because it always has been all year and always will be,” Butler said. “The belief that we have in one another stems from the amount of time that we spend with one another and how we actually enjoy being around one another. We know what each other is capable of...
Reporter: “Where is that belief that you’ve had all year right now?”
Jimmy Butler: “It’s at an all-time high just because it always has been all year and always will be… We know what each other is capable of. We didn’t come this far to stop playing now.”
(via @TomerAzarly) https://t.co/YzVP850fVC
"We didn’t come this far to stop playing now. No matter what the odds are [or ] the analytics, when we get out there, we just gotta compete. We gotta win one and then we gotta win another one and then we gotta win another one”
The Miami Heat will need to win three straight games against the Denver Nuggets in order to be crowned NBA Champions, which while difficult, is not impossible. After all, the Heat defeated the Boston Celtics in the opening three games of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup, which should give them hope that they can achieve a similar level of production again.
Otherwise, Game 5 on Monday, June 12, could be the final day of the current NBA season, and for a Heat team that has continued to defy the odds, that would be a disappointing end to a fairytale playoff run.