NBA Playoffs: Heat’s Tyler Herro Cleared for Basketball Activities, is Shooting, Dribbling

Guard Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat has resumed individual drills now that he is able to play basketball again.

Prior to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday against the Boston Celtics, head coach Erik Spoelstra gave an update on Herro. Despite still having no estimated time of return, Herro is improving after breaking his right hand in Miami’s first-round playoff matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Spoelstra.

Against the Bucks on April 16, Herro hurt his shooting hand while diving for a loose ball. He told reporters that the second and third metacarpal in his right hand “just snapped in half.” On April 21, Herro had surgery to treat the injury, and he was given a minimum six-week recovery period.

At the time, it was widely believed that the injury would end the season. In a series against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the eighth-seeded Miami Heat had lost their best shooter. However, the Heat later went on to defeat both the Bucks and the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. With a 3-0 lead over the Celtics, they are one victory away from the NBA Finals going into Game 4 on Tuesday. There’s still a chance Herro might make a cameo appearance if they succeed.

Until June 2, Herro had six weeks to recover from his operation. The Denver Nuggets will await the Celtics-Heat victor in Game 1 of the Finals on June 1. The Miami Herald reports that Herro’s return this postseason is “unlikely,” but it hasn’t been ruled out.

Behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Herro was Miami’s third-leading scorer during the regular season. He shot 37.8% on eight 3-point attempts per game and averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.

Miami’s postseason success is largely due to its effective shooting. The Heat are in first place in the postseason after shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc during the regular season, which placed them 27th.

Reference: sports.yahoo.com