MIAMI — Sidelined since Jan. 15 with a rib injury, guard Tyler Herro is expected to return to the court Thursday when the Miami Heat resume practice at Kaseya Center amid their eight-day All-Star break, an NBA source confirmed Wednesday to the Sun Sentinel.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra hinted ahead of the break that Herro would be back with the team for their stretch run, now with 26 games remaining in a regular season that resumes Friday against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
“He will be back,” Spoelstra said prior to the Heat’s final game before the break, the Feb. 11 123-111 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. “Yes, for sure. I don’t have a timeline exactly of when that will be. We’ll see how he progresses.”
Apparently that progression has Herro poised for a return, having appeared in only 11 games this season, after first missing the start of the season following September ankle surgery, then 13 games with a toe contusion.
Herro, 26, then sustained his rib injury in the Jan. 10 road loss to the Indiana Pacers, playing the following three games while receiving pain injections, before stepping aside.
The Heat most recently have been listing Herro’s absences as due to “Right costochondral; Injury to the ribs.”
The Heat have been alluding to the injury as a cartilage tear, while Herro has referred to the injury as a rib fracture.
Herro privately had made clear that the pain from the injury had precluded an earlier return to the court.
Because of Herro’s lack of action, the Heat have had little read this season on the chemistry and continuity of what had been expected to be their primary rotation. Herro, the team’s lone All-Star last year, has played only 132 minutes this season with prime offseason acquisition Norman Powell, the team’s lone All-Star this year.
In light of Herro’s absences, Powell has stood as the team’s scoring leader, with players such as Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dru Smith, rookie Kasparas Jakucionis and two-way player Myron Gardner receiving additional time, with Gardner on Wednesday converted to a standard contract.
When available, Herro has proven more efficient than the Heat’s offense as a whole, averaging 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and his 11 appearances on .497 shooting from the field and .358 shooting on 3-pointers.
Spoelstra hinted he expected an offensive boost after the break.
“Offensively, I think when we get our guys back, I think we’re going to be a really dangerous offensive team,” he said last week. “We can be fourth in the league in scoring with large parts of our rosters on the sideline. Just wait until we get our guys back into the fold.”
The last time Herro returned from an extended absence, he played off the bench in a Jan. 6 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves when he returned from his toe contusion.
Herro had been eligible for an extension during the preseason, with that window closing in October. His extension window reopens in July.
The 2019 first-round pick out of Kentucky is under contract for $31 million this season and $33 million next season, with an extension, if offered, to commence in 2028-29.
Herro was among the players rumored in a potential Heat bid for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo at the Feb. 5 NBA trading deadline, with the Heat not making a move at the time.