Tyler Herro injury update- Heat star officially ruled out of Game 5 as Miami face biggest test of the season
The Miami Heat have officially ruled out Tyler Herro for Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals. Herro has been out for pretty much the entire playoffs with a hand injury, for which he needed to undergo surgery. Earlier reports stated that he could be back by Game 3, but Herro hasn't been cleared four games into the series.
The Heat are now facing elimination ahead of Game 5 and will have to take this challenge up without the former 6th Man of the Year. The Heat have done well not to let his absence affect them, but they sorely missed him in the finals.
Herro was their third-best scorer this season, averaging 20.1 points, shooting on 44/38/93 splits. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists, providing much more than just his scoring to the team.
The Miami Heat could've certainly benefitted from that. They were able to get through to the finals in his absence, with role players like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin and Max Strus brilliantly covering for him, but they have gone cold in the championship series.
Strus has shot only 16.1% and 19.2% from deep, Martin is shooting 35.5%, and Vincent is making 42.9% of his shots. With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo struggling to outscore their superstar counterparts Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Heat could've blossomed in Tyler Herro's presence.
Max Strus is shooting 20% on WIDE OPEN 3s in the NBA Finals 🤯
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Holding Tyler Herro back could be the ideal decision for Game 5
Tyler Herro's impact is undoubtedly a strength for the Miami Heat, but not if he was returning after nearly a two-month injury layoff. Herro hasn't had much time to ramp up his reconditioning and get into game shape. As a scorer, without his rhythm, Herro may not have had a significant role in closeout Game 5.
It's a do-or-die contest, so Herro would have to be game ready from the get-go, which isn't likely considering the time he has missed. It would make the Nuggets' task easier on both ends.
Erik Spoelstra on Tyler Herro: “He just started this process when we were in Denver. It’s one thing to be able to go through all of this. It’s another to be cleared to play an NBA Finals game.”
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The Heat desperately need a big-time Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo outing to stay alive with Tyler Herro out. The role players have consistently failed to contribute in this series, so the approach of the Heat's franchise stars needs to change a little.
Butler's phenomenal outburst offensively helped the Heat get past the Milwaukee Bucks in round one. Considering how superior the Nuggets have been as a unit, Miami could use some of Butler's exploits.
Meanwhile, Adebayo has found the most success offensively of all players in the Miami Heat camp and could likely be the player who guides them to a surprise comeback this series.