MIAMI — After days of conjecture about when Tyler Herro’s return from Sept. 19 ankle surgery would come, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra effectively was the one to make the announcement, as he spoke prior to Monday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks at Kaseya Center.

“It’s an exciting day. I’m happy for him,” Spoelstra said about 90 minutes before tip-off.

“I’m really excited for Tyler. I know how much work he’s putting in. But I know how much he wanted to be ready for training camp.”

It is the first time this season Herro has had a game-day designation other than being out, having missed the Heat’s first 17 games. The day began with Herro listed as questionable and then updated to probable, before Spoelstra addressed the situation during his pregame comments.

“It’s exciting for the group,” Spoelstra said. “It’s exciting for him. But we just wanted to start this process.

“This is just going to be an absolute add. His skill level is going to fit right in.”

But, seemingly as with all things Heat at the start of this season, if it’s not one thing it’s another, with Norman Powell now sidelined by a strained left groin, out against the Mavericks and likely beyond.

“I don’t have a timeline on it,” Spoelstra said, “but the level of concern is not super high.”

Powell previously missed three games earlier this season with a strained right groin. In the wake of Monday’s MRI, he is listed as day-to-day, with the Heat next playing Wednesday night against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks in an NBA Cup game.

Powell, 32, tweaked the left groin early in Friday night’s road victory over the Chicago Bulls, played on in that game, and then scored a game-high 32 points in Sunday’s road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

In addition, forwards Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic both remain sidelined with hip issues, the Mavericks game marking the third consecutive absence for Wiggins and fourth in a row for Jovic.

With the mixed-bag injury report, rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis has been recalled from the G League, where last June’s No. 20 pick out of Illinois appeared in four games. Two-way player Vlad Goldin, the former FAU center, remains in the G League.

As for Herro, he said a week ago Sunday he anticipated a return within a week or two, but did not make the trip for what turned out to be the victories Friday night over the Bulls and Sunday over the 76ers.

In Herro’s absence, the Heat have been starring Davion Mitchell and Powell in their backcourt. Now it could be as simple as Herro stepping in for Powell.

The Heat ended last season with Herro and Mitchell as their starting backcourt, before acquiring Powell in the offseason from the Los Angeles Clippers.

On Sept. 19, Herro underwent what the Heat described as surgery, “to alleviate posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle.” In the announcement issued that day, the team said, “Herro is expected to miss around eight weeks.”

Ultimately, it turned out to be a longer absence.

“The thing is, there never was a definitive timeline of when I would be back, when I had the surgery,” Herro said upon returning to practice on Nov. 16. “Everyone was kind of just putting numbers and weeks out there. It all depends on how I feel and how my foot responds. Some people have taken three months to five months with this same surgery. So it just depends on how my foot feels.

“I was hoping it would feel great at six weeks, but at six weeks I was just getting back on the court and starting to move.”

The 2025 first-time All-Star had an Oct. 1-Oct. 20 window for an extension that was bypassed by the team. Herro again becomes extension-eligible July 1, still with two seasons left on his Heat contract.

Herro could have receive a larger contract extension if named All-NBA. However, to be eligible for such selection, Herro can miss no more than 17 games, with Sunday his 17th missed game of the season.

So close

Mitchell has thrived in Herro’s absence, including 12 assists, eight rebounds and eight points in Sunday’s 127-117 victory over the 76ers.

Mitchell said he was not surprised about flirting with a first career triple-double.

“I think that I always had that ability,” he said. “I mean, honestly, I felt like even in college I had that ability. I knew that we had a lot of scorers on our team, a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket. So I just tried to make the job easier for them, get them easy looks so they could get going, and if I’m open I take the shot.

“I don’t try to make the game difficult. I try to simplify as much as I can.”

Spoelstra said it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

“We all wanted to see D-Mitch get that triple-double. He was so close,” he said.

Big fans

No sooner had center Kel’el Ware closed out Sunday’s 20-point, 16-rebound performance than the second-year center was asked whether he was playing his best basketball.

Powell would have none of it, interrupting with, “Hell no. More to come. A lot more potential, man. … Stock rising.”

That worked for Ware, who responded, “What he said, I’m pretty sure y’all got that. So yeah.”

Center Bam Adebayo said he is impressed how Ware has worked through all the noise, including Sunday’s career-high eight offensive rebounds.

“He’s got Spo yelling at him, coaching staff, teammates. Obviously, then he has his own people in his ear,” Adebayo said. “Just being able to watch him grow through it, now, I feel like he gets it. Like I said, some nights it might not be 18 and 16. Some nights it might be 10 and 10. But he still can affect the game.”