Heat guard Tyler Herro rolled his right ankle in the first quarter of Wednesday’s 108-102 win vs. the Grizzlies, and after an MRI, the injury diagnosis was a Grade 2 ankle sprain, the Heat announced in a release.
As reported, Herro will be in a walking boot for 10 days and then re-evaluated in two weeks.
The injury occurred with under a minute left in the first quarter when Herro pulled up for a tear-drop floater in the lane but landed on Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s foot. Thereupon, Herro immediately fell to the court, agonizing in pain, and got up, hopping on his other foot as he headed to the locker room. “Just spur of the moment,” Herro said after the game. “A floater is a shot that I shoot multiple times a game. Just unfortunate to land on his foot.”
This is definitely discouraged news for Herro, who has a history of injuries, as he was forced to miss the NBA Finals this past season with a broken right hand. “You know, it’s unfortunate, but I’m just going to continue to work hard,” he said. “I’ve been through this injury stuff before. I’m just going to keep working.”
The 23-year-old was off to a promising start in his fifth season heading into Wednesday’s game, for he was averaging 25.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 41% from 3-point range in almost 38 minutes per contest. Undoubtedly, the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year award winner was playing with a chip on his shoulder this season after being the centerpiece asset for Damian Lillard trade rumors this offseason.
In fact, Herro has stated in multiple recent interviews that he was determined to make himself irreplaceable and will be showcasing himself as ‘too valuable to move’ heading forward.
So far this season, Herro has been the focal point of the Heat’s offense; that is to say, in his absence, the team will have to find scoring from other players to attempt to replace his almost 30% usage rate and 21+ shot attempts per game.
Josh Richardson and Duncan Robinson will see an uptake in minutes as the Heat hope to improve on their 4-4 record heading into their next game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
