As the Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, the team is looking to get back in the win column on Friday against the Orlando Magic, though the injury report featured two star players in Tyler Herro and Norman Powell. With Herro and Powell headlining the Heat's injury report, the former would receive a crucial update that could have some fans worried about the immediate future.
Powell would be upgraded to “available” for the contest with a left ankle sprain, but Herro would be downgraded to “doubtful” with “right big toe irritation.” Plus, Herro will undergo an MRI for the toe injury, which would be later confirmed by head coach Erik Spoelstra, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
Herro missed the start of the season due to an offseason injury to “alleviate posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle,” which also impacted his foot as the star guard said throughout recovery. However, he has since returned, playing in Miami's last five games, though now he deals with a toe injury on the other side.
Spoelstra would say after Friday's shootaround that the injury was sustained on Herro's three-point play. The only time he made a shot while being fouled in the loss to the Mavericks was with 1:06 left in the first quarter, as he proceeded to finish the first half with 20 points before going scoreless in the second.
Heat's Tyler Herro was commencing a “long process” to reach 100 percent
With Herro getting used to the Heat's new offense while also looking to get 100 percent healthy and explosive again, there's no denying that this toe injury is an obstacle for the All-Star from last season. It seemed as if Herro didn't lose that many steps in the five games he played, averaging 23.8 points per game, though he has continually said that it will be a “long process” to get back to where he was before the surgery.
“I feel good,” Herro said, according to The Miami Herald. “Just got to keep it rolling day by day, like I said. It’s a long process of getting my foot back to where it was before the surgery.”
One would think that, judging by Miami's results before Herro's initial return, the team shouldn't experience a major drop-off. The team has led the league in pace (105.82 possessions per 48 minutes) and been one of the NBA's highest-scoring teams (123.6 points per game, second in the NBA).
“We got a deep team,” Herro said. “I’m playing with a bunch of great guys, great players on his team. It has been great for me, and just getting back into the swing of things. And just looking forward to continuing to build the chemistry.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen when Herro can return to building that chemistry, but the Heat look to get back to their winning ways against the Magic on Friday.
