Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was cleared to rejoin the team to travel to Salt Lake City after a COVID-19 scare he experienced on Thursday, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. Due to the COVID-19 health protocols put into place by the NBA, Herro was not available to play against the Houston Rockets, where the Heat won 101-94.
COVID-19 and its unpredictability have impacted the Heat staff and players. Head coach Erik Spoelstra had to make a last-minute change to his starting lineup after learning that Herro was not going to play the game against the Rockets, inserting Kendrick Nunn. Little-used guard Max Strus played 25 minutes too.
These lineup changes have become normal for the Heat, as Reynolds reported that 10 of the team's 17 players have missed at least a game due to health protocols, a large reason for why Spoelstra has had to use 16 different lineups in the 25 games they have played so far.
The Heat are 11-14 as of right now, sitting at ninth in Eastern Conference. The Heat have had to deal with many of its players having to sit out for COVID-related reasons as well as injuries, and that has impacted the team's ability to dominate in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat is definitely not the same team that the NBA world saw in the bubble last year, as the fifth-seeded underdogs made it all the way to the Finals to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Miami will have to continue to adapt to circumstances that present themselves in front of the team and make the most of when players such as Herro are ready to play.
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