Heat's Tyler Herro gives optimistic injury update ahead of regular season

Joe Mayo

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Heat's Tyler Herro gives optimistic injury update ahead of regular season image

The Miami Heat will be without All-Star guard Tyler Herro for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Orlando Magic, though he may be on track to return sooner than anticipated.

Herro underwent surgery on his left foot/ankle on Sept. 19 but is reportedly trending in the right direction. Speaking at media day on Sept. 29, the star guard said he expects to be back in 8-12 weeks, which would put his debut around mid-November. 

The Heat aren't expected to rush the 25-year-old back, though his services will be crucial if the team hopes to avoid a fourth consecutive Play-In Tournament appearance. 

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Tyler Herro returning ‘sooner than later’ 

Herro spoke to Heat fans at the team's Red, White and Pink annual scrimmage to benefit cancer research on Wednesday, expressing optimism about his timeline. 

“Just gotta keep rehabbing, I'll be back sooner than later, so I'm excited,” Herro said. 

Herro is coming off his first All-Star nod in 2024-25, during which he averaged 23.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game across 77 regular-season outings. He also shot a career-high 47.2 percent from the field and took over as Miami's top option following the trade of Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors in February. 

When healthy, Herro is expected to serve as Miami's top option in a starting five that's also expected to feature Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins. While the Heat aren't widely viewed as title contenders, the Eastern Conference is wide open, and another step forward from Herro could be the key — making his health critical to the team's success.

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Joe Mayo

Joe Mayo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. Born and raised in Wisconsin, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024. He’s also a contributor at RotoWire. While Joe primarily writes about the NBA, he also covers the WNBA and MLB.