MIAMI – With the Miami Heat looking to build off its statement win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, one star on the team that has been finding a major groove is Tyler Herro. As the Heat enter a crucial week ahead of Tuesday's game against the Washington Wizards, Herro's impact has been huge, which leaves the question of what Norman Powell's role could look like.

Tyler Herro's play could lead to a big Heat decision for Norman Powell

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) reacts after a shot against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Right now, Powell has missed each game of Miami's five-game winning streak, will miss his sixth straight appearance on Tuesday, and doesn't have a timeline for his return. Herro looks to be returning to his All-Star self from last season, with even the NBA recognizing, giving the guard Eastern Confefence Player of the Week, as he averaged 26.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field.

This is with Herro still getting his feet under him after missing 15 contests with a ribs injury and 45 games total this season due to a myriad of injuries. After every injury stint, he came off the bench. Could the same route be heading for the first-time All-Star in Powell?

Depending on how much more time Powell needs to recover from his groin strain, his minutes will likely need to be managed coming back, but the question still stands when everybody is healthy.

There is always the decision of head coach Erik Spoelstra starting both Herro and Powell in the starting lineup, but there could be immense defensive concerns, despite the offensive explosion that could erupt, though there's a question of fit on that end as well. It remains to be seen, but there's no denying that this is a good problem to have, especially with Herro feeling healthy at the moment.

“I know I can play at this higher level. It’s just being healthy,” Herro said after scoring 25 points in the win over the Pistons. “So I’m appreciating just, again, being out there. I was without the game for a while, and to be out there means a lot. Now to be winning out there with these guys, it feels amazing.”

Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Tyler Herro's road to recovery

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While it remains to be seen when the Heat will get back Powell and even Andrew Wiggins, Herro will look to keep up his impressive play, though at the time of writing, he is questionable for Wednesday with left quadriceps soreness. Still, Herro's season has been mostly frustrating, recovering from a bunch of different injuries, like recovering from an offseason ankle surgery, missing time with a toe contusion, and the ribs issue, as said before.

For Herro to be playing at this level has been “incredible,” as Jaime Jaquez Jr. pointed out, with Spoelstra doubling down on the road to recovery for the star, even comparing him to Kevin Durant in a certain area.

“It’s definitely not easy,” Spoelstra said. “You see it all the time in this league. Players, they’re the best in the world at what they do, and when they miss extended time, it is really tough. You hear it all the time. There’s nothing like game conditioning, game rhythm. But the way he works is about as close as you can get to that. Everything is a full-speed rep.”

“I mentioned that about Kevin Durant last week. Tyler is similar in the way he works. They're game reps, and he's letting the game come to him also. You don't feel like he's pressing or trying to get everything back on any particular possession; he's just letting our style of play create some advantages.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen what the lineups and rotations look like for Miami if and when everybody is healthy, but the focus is on avoiding the play-in tourney with the Heat at a 36-29 record, seventh in the East.