As the Miami Heat prepare for the Orlando Magic, they will most likely be without an integral piece to the starting lineup according to the NBA official injury report as of 12:30 p.m. (EST). Star Tyler Herro has been listed as “doubtful” as he is dealing with a right shoulder strain.
When Herro was speaking to the media after Wednesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, there was not any talk about an injury to the guard. He would score 17 points, record six assists, and collect five rebounds in the game.
Herro has been the leading scorer for Miami this season as he has been averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He was set to receive extra ball-handling duties with the hand injury to Kyle Lowry sustained in Monday's win to the Houston Rockets.
It is another huge blow for the Heat as the team has been plagued with injury problems this season resulting in head coach Erik Spoelstra to experiment with different lineups and rotations. Miami is up to 20 different starting lineups this season, which is second only to the Dallas Mavericks with 21. The team will most likely be propelled to start another different lineup as besides Herro, Jimmy Butler and Lowry are also “doubtful” and set to miss the game Friday night.
For Herro, he had missed 18 games starting in early November as he dealt with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain. He would come back on Dec. 18 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and seemed to have not missed a step.
Some good news on the injury report besides Herro
If there is any good news to share, forward Caleb Martin has been upgraded to “probable” for the contest against the Magic as he was suffering from a right ankle sprain since Christmas Day when the Heat was facing the Philadelphia 76ers. The standout from last season's playoffs is looking to build some consistency in terms of health as he has been dealing with ankle injuries since the pre-season.
Other guards that can start and also receive more playing time are Josh Richardson and R.J. Hampton just to name a few. Miami will be under-manned again going into a contest as they face Orlando Friday night inside the Kaseya Center. The Heat are 21-16 which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Follow Us
Subscribe