Tyler Herro is set to make his return to the Miami Heat lineup, and the timing couldn't be better. After being sidelined for 15 games due to a rib injury, Herro was a full participant in Thursday’s practice and is officially listed as probable for Friday’s showdown against the Atlanta Hawks. With the Heat emerging from the All-Star break, having their leading scorer back could be the spark they need to gain some momentum.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed optimism about Herro's return: “We will see how he responds when we get to Atlanta. It’s encouraging to have him back in the mix. We’re all excited about it.”
Herro’s time away from the court was significant. Speaking publicly for the first time in over a month, he revealed that he had been dealing with three fractured ribs.
“There’s not too much discomfort anymore compared to where I was three or four weeks ago,” Herro shared. “I couldn’t even get out of bed.
It was crazy. There was nothing I could magically do to fix my ribs.
I had three fractured ribs. My ribs were in a lot of pain.”
The recovery process was meticulous and necessary. Herro explained, “Once I knew what it was, it was just a matter of relaxing and letting my body recover.
There’s nothing I could magically do to fix my ribs; I had three, like, fractured ribs. So my ribs were in a lot of pain, just doing normal lifestyle, things I couldn’t do, so there was no way I could play basketball.
I played the first three games off of Torodol shots, and it was cool, but I couldn’t do that for the rest of the season, so it was a matter of just letting this thing calm down.”
This season has been a challenging one for the 26-year-old. After missing the first 17 games due to offseason ankle surgery, Herro also dealt with a toe contusion that kept him out for 13 more games, and now this rib injury. Despite the setbacks, in his 11 appearances, Herro has averaged an impressive 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
Friday’s game against the Hawks is the first of a back-to-back set, with the Memphis Grizzlies up next on Saturday. Even if Herro suits up, there might be minute restrictions or a maintenance day in the cards. Miami hasn’t had the luxury of a full roster often this season, but with Herro's return, that could finally start to change.