Tyler Herro injury update: Will he be back for game 4 of the NBA finals against the Nuggets?
By the looks of things, the Miami Heat will be without Tyler Herro once again when Game 4 tips off. Needless to say, that’s not good news for their title hopes.
With the Nuggets now leading the series 2-1, it would be ideal if the Heat could see the return of their point guard. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen in Game 4 as he continues to recover from injury.
Tyler Herro to miss Game 4
According to the most recent update from Miami Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra (Thursday evening), Heat guard Tyler Herro has not been cleared to return from his hand injury. Herro of course, broke his hand in the first game of the playoffs, and though some reports suggested that he would return by Game 3 of the NBA Finals if not earlier, it now seems he’s still unable to play as Friday’s Game 4 looms.
“This is just part of the process,” Spoelstra said. “You have to go through stages. First part of it was just shooting, then movement, then contact versus coaches, and then the next level of contact in practice. He has not been cleared for a game and he’s still not cleared yet.”
What we know about Tyler Herro’s situation
On a positive note, Spoelstra explained that Herro is in great spirits compared to weeks ago when he was unable to work out or shoot. On the other hand, it appears the team is still unwilling to risk him in what has proven to be an intense series with the Denver Nuggets.
“He’s a competitor,” Spoelstra said. “He wants to be out there. And he was really excited at the beginning of this playoff run for the opportunity that we felt that we had with this team, but there’s sometimes things that you can’t control. So right now he’s not cleared to take that next step. He’s checked every box so far, but he’s not at that next step yet to clear for an NBA Finals game. But he’s doing everything he needs to do to take these next steps.” At this point, the Heat don’t have a lot of wiggle room. As mentioned before, they’re currently down 2-1 which is to say, if and when Herro can play it may well be too late. If there is a silver lining, it’s that others have stepped up to the plate in his absence. Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, and Duncan Robinson have all contributed more offensively, while the team has essentially been able to line up more defensively. Yet, it can’t be denied that the Heat struggled on both ends during Wednesday’s game. Some might argue that’s due to Herro’s absence.