An update on Tyler Herro’s status. And Heat faces decision on emerging wing Max Strus
The Miami Heat will have a key player back when it faces the team with the NBA’s best record on Saturday.
After being ruled out of Thursday’s game against Houston shortly before tip-off, Heat guard Tyler Herro accompanied the team to Utah for the second game of a seven-game road trip and is now out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. He is available to play Saturday against the Jazz (9 p.m., Fox Sports Sun).
That means Herro did not test positive for the virus and was not deemed to be a close contact of someone who did.
According to a source, there was some inconsistency in Herro’s test results Thursday, which is why he couldn’t play. But the issue was resolved - with a negative test result - by the time the team was ready to fly to Salt Lake City late Thursday night.
Herro, who previously said he had the virus last spring, would have missed seven days if he had been deemed a close contact with someone who has the virus and if he had continued to test negative. If Herro has contracted the virus for a second time, he would miss at least two weeks.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said he did not learn that Herro would be out Thursday against Houston until “17 seconds” before Spoelstra addressed the team pregame.
The Heat, which did not practice on Friday, remains without guards Goran Dragic and Avery Bradley, who did not accompany the team on this road trip. Dragic (ankle) is out indefinitely and Bradley (calf) could miss another three weeks.
The absence of Dragic, Bradley, Chris Silva (hip) and Meyers Leonard (season-ending shoulder surgery) leaves Miami with 13 players available for Saturday’s game.
STRUS DECISION
The emergence of small forward Max Strus — the Heat’s latest two-way contract success story — could force Miami to make a roster move in the coming weeks.
The NBA’s 2020-21 rules state that players on two-way contracts can be active for 50 of a team’s 72 games.
Strus has been active for 18 of Miami’s first 25 games.
That means if he remains on a two-way contract, he could be active for 32 of the Heat’s 47 remaining games.
But if Strus continues to impress — as he did in scoring 21 points in 25 minutes in Thursday’s win at Houston — the Heat could look to convert his two-way contract into a standard deal to remove any limitations on his availability.
In that scenario, the Heat could open a roster spot by making a trade while dealing one more player than it acquires. Another option would be releasing Silva, who’s earning $1.5 million this season with a $1.8 million team option for next season. Silva remains out indefinitely with a hip injury.
Strus, who spent most of last season recovering from a torn ACL while on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, is shooting 11 for 12 on two-pointers this season and 23 for 54 (42.6 percent) on three-pointers in his 14 appearances.
“He’s really [expletive] good,” Jimmy Butler said.
Strus’ performance in Houston—- badly needed in the absence of three key Heat wing players — included five three-pointers and a thunderous dunk after he blew by Rockets guard John Wall.
“As I’ve continued to grow and mature I’ve gained a lot of athleticism, and I think that honestly separates me from a lot of people known as ‘shooters,’ he said. “I’ve always been an athlete. I’ve always liked dunking to be honest with you.”
Strus, 6-5, began his career at Division II Lewis University in Illinois, transferred to DePaul and was second-team Big East as a senior before going undrafted.
He signed a two-way contract with the Celtics after playing well in the Las Vegas Summer League, was released late in training camp and joined the Bulls on a two-way deal, but appeared in just two games for Chicago and 13 for the Bulls’ G League team before sustaining the season-ending knee injury two days before Christmas in 2019.
The injury, he said, “was a blessing. That kind of helped me visualize where I can be and where I fit in in the NBA. Before, I thought I was going to be an all-around player. But I realized that in order to get my chance, I’ve got to be a knockdown shooter. And coming back from ACL surgery, I realized that I got to be a knockdown shooter, and I put in the work. It’s starting to show, and I’m only going to continue to get better. Defensively, I’ve made some strides.”
Along the way, Strus closely watched shooters whose games had some similarities to his.
“I didn’t watch a lot of NBA growing up,” he said. “I was more of a college fan growing up. I watched a lot of Big 10, Nik Stauskas at Michigan, guys who can shoot the ball on the wing and try to model my game after them.”
Now he watches the Nets’ Joe Harris, the Pelicans’ J.J. Redick and the Heat’s Duncan Robinson, whom Strus credits for helping his development.
“It’s the perfect opportunity and perfect timing,” Strus said. “I knew I would be an NBA player eventually. I’m just getting an opportunity to show it now.”
Coaches and teammates appreciate his work ethic. Spoelstra mentioned there was one day recently when Strus participated in five grueling workouts on the day of a game — a shootaround, before and after that shootaround, before the game that night and after the game.
“I knew my hard work would pay off at some point,” he said. “To be doing this, this early in the season, I probably didn’t expect this. I’ll be ready at any moment.”
And Butler has delivered a simple message to him: Shoot the ball when there’s an opportunity.
“They have all the confidence in the world in me,” Strus said. “Every time, Jimmy tells me to shoot the ball. It gives me confidence.”
As Spoelstra put it: “When you have a highly decorated All-Star telling you, ‘Shoot the ball, play your game, be you out there, get the ball,’ that’s a lot easier to do what you trained to do so many hours behind the scenes when no one’s watching. It’s a lot tougher to do when you get those side glances from veteran players.”
BUTLER FEATS
After Thursday’s triple-double (27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), Butler now has at least nine assists in five consecutive games — most by a Heat player since LeBron James did it in seven consecutive games in 2010.
Butler is now averaging 7.1 assists after averaging a career-high 6.0 last season. How much joy is he taking in that part of his game?
“I love to pass the ball to my guys,” he said. “I know it’s going to go in. I’ve got so much confidence, so much faith in my guys. I know I can’t do it by myself. I definitely need those guys.”
Butler surpassed Dwyane Wade for second place on the Heat’s all-time triple-doubles list, with six in his one-plus seasons with the team. Only James had more triple-doubles in a Heat uniform (14).
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 1:17 PM.
