The time has come to crown a champion in the NBA, as the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets will battle it out in the 2023 NBA Finals. In a “David vs. Goliath” type of story, the 8-seeded Heat will look to pull off one last major upset over the 1-seeded Nuggets, but they may have to do so without one of their best scoring weapons in Tyler Herro.

Out since Game 1 of their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a broken right hand, there is optimism that Herro will be able to return at some point in the NBA Finals. However, his return will not come in the first game of this championship series, as head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Wednesday that Herro will not be playing on Thursday night.

“He will not play tomorrow,” Spoelstra said during NBA Finals media day, via ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly. “We don't want to get ahead of ourselves right now. He's still just starting this process. We do have a few days here just to continue his work. I can't even make any kind of proclamation until he takes these next important steps.

“We are all encouraged by the progress that he's made, but we want to continue to be responsible and make the best decision, so he's not there yet.”

Despite his injury, the Heat have found ways to win in the playoffs without Herro, who was their third-best scorer during the regular season. In his absence, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Caleb Martin have really stepped up on the offensive-end of the floor.

As for when Herro could return, his status for the Finals as a whole remains in question. It is good news that he is ramping up his workouts and that he has not suffered any setbacks, but as Spoelstra stated, the Heat do not want to push his recovery.

With Game 1 set to be played on Thursday and Game 2 on Sunday in Denver, Miami does have time to work their guard back into the fold. Game 3 of this series in Miami will not be played until Wednesday, June 7, giving Tyler Herro a full week from now to potentially make his return in front of the Heat's home faithful.