The Heat have been without star guard Tyler Herro for much of their postseason run, having lost the 23-year-old to a broken hand during their first-round series against the Bucks.
The injury was expected to take about six weeks to recover from, and considering the Heat were the No. 8 seed in the East, many assumed Herro’s season had come to a close.
However, with Miami up 3–0 over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, Heat beat writer Ira Winderman reported a significant update to Herro’s status.
Per Winderman, the Heat star has been cleared to resume basketball activity, though he remains without a distinct timetable to return to action.
Heat's Tyler Herro cleared to resume basketball activity from broken hand, no timetable on return. https://t.co/Yj244po4uX Also: Jimmy Butler fined $25,000 by NBA for bypassing postgame media session.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) May 23, 2023
Herro suffered the fractured hand on April 16 against Milwaukee and has been sidelined ever since. It’s been five weeks since the injury, and with Game 1 of the NBA Finals set for Thursday, June 1, more than the allotted six weeks will have passed by the time the Finals gets underway.
Of course, Miami still needs to pick up one more win against the Celtics to punch their ticket to the Finals. Game 4 at Miami’s Kaseya Center is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
While the Heat didn’t state whether or not Herro would be available should they reach the NBA Finals, it’s encouraging to see he’s been cleared to resume basketball activities. That at least, marks a step in the right direction, and the organization will likely continue to monitor his progress in the coming days.