Insight on Tyler Herro’s widely circulated tweet and latest on his status for Heat
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro’s tweet on Wednesday left some fearing that he may not return this season. However, there’s still optimism that he’ll be able to play again this season, according to multiple league sources.
“I just had a great workout, but I ain’t coming back no time soon,” Herro, 24, tweeted from his personal account on Wednesday afternoon in response to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
But Herro’s tweet was one of sarcasm, as he remains on track to return at some point this season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection on March 15. He was expected to be re-evaluated in one to two weeks from that date, with this upcoming Friday marking two weeks since that injection.
While there’s still no clear timetable for his return and the Heat has just 10 games left on its regular-season schedule, the expectation is that Herro will play again this season if his foot continues to respond well to treatment.
PRP injections usually require no activity for one week after the shot is administered, but then the ramping up process takes place in the second and third weeks. If Herro is able to come back three weeks following the injection, he could potentially return during the Heat’s final trip of the regular season that begins on April 5 against the Houston Rockets.
What led to Herro’s sarcastic tweet?
“The big worry is Tyler Herro,” Charania said Wednesday. “He has not played in a while. There’s no real sense when he’ll be back and when he’ll be available. He got a PRP shot a couple weeks ago. Still no clear sense on the timeline.”
Herro pushed back on that report, sarcastically tweeting that “I ain’t coming back no time soon.” But the hope is the contrary and that Herro will be back sooner rather than later.
Herro, who has missed the last 16 games, has started in each of his 36 appearances this season. He’s averaging career-highs in points (20.8 per game) and assists (4.4 per game) while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 39.9 percent on 8.1 three-point attempts per game this season.
The Heat also played without Jimmy Butler (illness), Kevin Love (bruised right heel), Duncan Robinson (left facet syndrome) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery) in Tuesday night’s home loss to the Golden State Warriors. Butler missed his first game because of his illness, Love missed his 14th straight game because of his heel injury, Robinson missed his fourth straight game because of his back issue and Richardson is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder earlier this month.
Next up for the Heat is a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday to close a four-game homestand. The Heat will issue its injury report for that contest on Thursday afternoon.
SHAKE IT OFF
Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo was hit in the head during the second quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors. He was slow to get up, but he eventually was helped to his feet and walked to the Heat’s bench under his own power.
Adebayo was able to finish the game without an issue, too. He recorded 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes in the loss.
“I had to make sure I was alright. So that’s why I stayed down,” Adebayo said. “I had to make sure nothing was seriously wrong because, you know, you’ve seen a lot of guys get hit in the head and it could be a concussion or neck strain. For me, it was just really depending on if I could get up. Then, obviously, you got that whisper in the back of your ear. For me, it was my mom to tell me to get up. So I shook it off.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra added: “He’s fine. He’s tough. That happened in the first half and he was really good in that second half.”
