The Miami Heat, prior to their 118-110 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, signed veteran guard Patty Mills to bolster the team's guard depth during the stretch run. Now, that move makes even more sense, as the Heat will be without guard/forward Josh Richardson for the rest of the season after sustaining a shoulder injury that requires surgery, as per Zachary Weinberger, Heat beat reporter for ClutchPoints.

Richardson will be undergoing the procedure tomorrow, marking the formal end of his return season for the Heat. It's not clear at the moment what the exact diagnosis is on Richardson's shoulder, but there could be a tear that has necessitated a surgery to repair.

Josh Richardson has missed a few games here and there for Miami earlier in the season, although those absences have come as a result of minor injuries. The alarm bells rang, however, when the Heat ruled out Richardson back on February 13 against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a shoulder dislocation.

The initial diagnosis on Richardson was that he was going to miss a few weeks and then the Heat will be re-evaluating him soon thereafter. Clearly, the re-evaluation did not turn out well, with the 30-year old wing now set to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season.

Josh Richardson has been useful this season for the Heat as a solid option for Erik Spoelstra on the wing. Spoelstra's familiarity with Richardson has helped as well. In 43 games this season (six starts), Richardson averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 44/35/94 shooting splits.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Tyler Herro, Heat, Heat Herro, Celtics, Herro Celtics

Jackson Stone ·

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra near stars Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

Zachary Weinberger ·

celtics heat prediction

Nathanial Duffett ·

Richardson's absence further depletes the Heat's depth; at present, Tyler Herro is on the mend as well for an uncertain period of time due to a knee injury, and it has simply been a rough go for the Heat on the injury front all season long.

Thankfully for the Heat, they have plenty of capable players to fill in the minutes amid Richardson's absence. Against the Pistons, Jimmy Butler logged 37 minutes, while Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Caleb Martin also put up heavy minutes on the wing. Patty Mills should also figure to get some time as a veteran floor-spacing option.