Tyler Herro, Miami Heat’s second-top scorer, broke his hand in Game 1 against the Bucks and has been out of play since then. Even though he could not play for the Miami Heat, he played an essential role in the team’s play-in win against the Chicago Bulls. Before he broke his hand, he had an average of 20.1 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 4.2 RPG in the regular season.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reveals that Tyler Herro’s fracture hand has already healed but not yet cleared for play. Adrian Wojnarowski said, “Sunday Game 2 is something he will test it out for. But if not Sunday, Game 3 on Wednesday is back in Miami. Barring a setback, there’s confidence Tyler Herro (right-hand injury) will be ready to return then.”
The Miami Heat will need Tyler Herro back in the game as they face the Nuggets in the NBA Finals. They cannot rely solely on the scoring of Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin, so Tyler Herro’s return could be pivotal in shifting the momentum of the NBA Finals in their favor.
Miami Heat’s NBA Finals Preview
The Miami Heat is up against Erek Spoelstra and Michael Malone in this year’s NBA Finals, making it a unique match-up between two great coaches. The Heat’s primary objective is to defend against the Jokic-Murray Spain pick-and-roll. Despite having more defenders at the wing with Caleb Martin back in the lineup, they are still at a disadvantage when guarding Jokic at the post, as Bam Adebayo is only 6’10”.
The Nuggets have a height advantage in Jokic and Gordon and will try to exploit the smaller lineups of the Heat players. Miami has Jimmy Butler, one of the best players this year, to counter the Nuggets’ offensive strategy. Jokic, with his 7-foot frame and exceptional passing ability, is unguardable. He is often paired with Jamal Murray, who has an impressive 39.8% shooting from beyond the arc in this year’s playoffs.
Mike Malone likes to play a three-man game pick-and-roll with Jokic setting the screen and Murray luring the defense to either try to double-team him or leave him for an iso, resulting in a drop-off to Jokic or a pass to the corner for a wide-open Michael Porter Jr.
The Miami Heat countered this offense earlier in the playoffs against the Bucks, who played a similar brand of basketball to the Nuggets. Reports indicate that Tyler Herro’s return in Game 2 will make this a much longer and more exciting Finals series than experts have predicted.
