MANILA, Philippines — As the Miami Heat head into the NBA Finals, their lineup is set to receive a boost with the anticipated return of shooting guard Tyler Herro. Having played the majority of their Eastern Conference playoff run without Herro, the Heat are now expected to see him back in action during their best-of-seven series against the Denver Nuggets, according to reports.
“Herro (hand fracture) is ramping up workouts and is expected to make his return at some point during NBA Finals with Game 3 being the likely target,” tweeted senior NBA insider Chris Haynes on Wednesday.
Herro sustained a right hand injury during the first round of the NBA Playoffs, where Miami caused an upset by defeating the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Since then, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been experimenting with his rotations in an attempt to recapture the spark that Herro brought during the regular season.
The key challenge facing Spoelstra now is readjusting his lineup with Herro’s return, as guard Caleb Martin has been efficiently scoring for the eighth-seeded squad in the East. Stepping in for Herro, Martin averaged 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in Miami’s crucial seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Spoelstra is likely to welcome Herro’s scoring ability against a well-rounded Nuggets team. During the regular season, Herro recorded averages of 20.1 points and 5.4 rebounds on an impressive 43.9 percent shooting clip.
The NBA Finals series between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets kicks off on Friday, 8:30 am (Manila time), at Ball Arena in Denver.
