Emerging from injury, Tyler Herro explodes for 24 points, igniting the Miami Heat's dominant win. Can he sustain this momentum as the playoff push intensifies?
As the Miami Heat returned from the All-Star break on Friday, so did guard Tyler Herro. It's been a down year for the 26-year-old, who's only appeared in just 11 games before the Atlanta Hawks matchup. After battling lower leg injuries, followed by rib issues, Herro was finally cleared for NBA action and didn't appear to miss a step.
In the Heat's 128–97 victory over the Hawks, the former lottery pick scored a game-high 24 points on 64.3 percent shooting, including a couple of three-pointers made, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench.
"I feel good," he said following the victory. "Just happy to be back out here playing with my teammates. Ultimately, we got a win on the first night I was back. I'm just happy to be back. It was a team effort; everyone rallied around each other on both ends of the floor, and we got a win. It was good."
The Heat improved their record to 30-27, eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. They've barely played with a fully healthy roster, especially with Herro missing significant time. As the team only has 25 games left on the regular season schedule, it may be considered a risk to work him back into the starting lineup.
Following Friday's victory, Erik Spoelstra hasn't committed to what Herro's role will look like moving forward.
"Right now, we're just trying to get him out there," he said. "We are going to manage the minutes. I'm not overthinking it, putting anything in cement. I don't have a timeline for anything. We're how many games into the season and we finally have our full roster. We're just going to try to maximize these next 25 games as much as possible."
"We have a great opportunity."
The Heat have a step hill to climb, but reaching a top-six seed isn't out of the question. They're currently a game behind in standings from the Philadelphia 76ers, who currently claim the sixth seed.
Herro would provide better service for the team by coming off the bench for the rest of the season. He's missed significant time and doesn't have nearly enough on-court chemistry with first-time All-Star Norman Powell.
As the regular season reaches the final stretch, every game holds significant value, especially if it comes down to tiebreakers. The Heat doesn't have the time to wait for Herro to get comfortable with everyone else. They will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
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