Spoelstra says Tyler Herro is available for “all hands on deck” Game 5
DENVER — Miami needs to find an offensive spark for Game 5, they have to find a way to score with Denver.
Maybe Tyler Herro can provide it. In a surprise move, Herro was upgraded to questionable for Game 5 on Monday afternoon. Out since the first game against Milwaukee in the first round with a fractured hand, he is ready to go in Game 5, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra confirmed.
“He’s done everything he needed to do, really appreciate all the work that he’s put in, it’s been a long, whatever, six, seven weeks of this,” Spoelstra said. “He’s putting himself out there, available.
“It’s all hands on deck. So we’re gonna, you know with our initial start, normal rotation and then we’ll just see how the game plays out. You know, we have no idea how this game is going to play out but it’s great to have everybody available.”
This is good news for Herro, who haas been working toward this chance.
How much of a boost Herro can provide the Heat at this point is a fair question, but Spoelstra has to be willing to try anything as his team has not been able to slow the Nugget offense so he needs buckets.
“I’m just going to read the game,” Spoelstra said. “He’s going to be available. I’m not going to disrupt everything, initially, it’s not realistic for him to step into the role that he was doing before. But it sure is great. Just to have everybody here.”
Herro hasn’t played since April 16 following a brutal broken hand injury, and as of a week ago still had pain and swelling in the hand when shooting. He has drawn praise from teammates for his diligence in the rehab process, but doctors had yet to clear him. They have now.
Taking a guy who hasn’t played in almost two months and throwing him into the NBA Finals against a long and active defense is a big ask, but it’s worth a shot. Herro averaged 20.1 points a game, shot 37.8% from three and may have the best handles on the roster. It’s possible he could provide a spark in limited minutes off the bench (less than 10, probably). Don’t be surprised if Herro’s first minutes come at the start of the second quarter, when Nikola Jokić rests. It would be tough for Spoelstra to play Herro with Duncan Robinson or others the Nuggets can target on defense, a reason to keep him away from the Jokic minutes, but Spo has to try something.
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Spoelstra says Tyler Herro is available for “all hands on deck” Game 5 originally appeared on NBCSports.com
