The offensive center for the Miami Heat looks set to make his season debut in the near future. Guard Tyler Herro has sat out Miami’s first 14 games of the season as he recovers from ankle surgery, which he underwent back in September, although he participated in his first practice of the season on Sunday. He also said he expects to be back on the field for Miami in the next week or two.
Herro is only a few games away from being ineligible for majors, but he isn’t too worried about accolades and wants to play “every possible game.”
“I mean every year I try to come in with the mindset of playing as many games as possible, not necessarily for accolades or anything like that,” he said. “I just want to be on the floor as much as possible. That’s what they pay me to do. And last season I had a very healthy season. This season started off weird for me, something that I couldn’t control. So when I get back on the floor again, I’m going to do as much as I can to be out there every game possible. That’s what I want to do. That’s my goal.”
The 25-year-old’s imminent return is great news for a Heat team that has been pretty short of late. For the past two weeks or so, not only has Miami been without Herro, but big man Bam Adebayo has been out. He left a game against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 5 with a left foot injury and has been sidelined ever since.
But to Miami’s credit, it has still been able to rack up wins lately, even without its two best players. The Heat are 4-2 in games without Adebayo and are fresh off a win over a very good New York Knicks team on Monday. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, the current No. 2 seed in the East, in overtime that season as well.
Even though Herro has yet to play a single game this season, the Heat have still been one of the top offenses in the NBA in his absence. They are third in the NBA in points per game and first in scoring per contest, and their offense will only be more lethal with a healthy Herro on the floor.
With any luck, Herro will have a clean bill of health for the rest of the season after his return and won’t fall victim to the injury bug again anytime soon. He’s too important a player to miss any more time for a Heat team looking to make some noise in the East.