Injuries and losses have been the name of the game for the Miami Heat during the preseason. Facing the Atlanta Hawks in their 5th game before the regular season, the story remained the same for Erik Spoelstra’s team. Captain Bam Adebayo suffered an apparent injury and went straight to the locker room with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The latest loss on Monday was the closest one, as both teams needed OT to find a winner, and it wasn’t the Miami franchise that won.  But it seems there is a silver lining after all, as standout star, Tyler Herro, may be back before anyone expected.

Fresh off a career-best season, the All-Star guard underwent surgery to address posterior ankle impingement, which has limited his mobility. The announcement came on Sept 19, and the timeline then was 8 weeks of rehab. Meaning, Herro was supposed to be back by mid-to-late November, missing at least 14-15 games. But that’s not the case now. During the clash against the Hawks, the commentator revealed the apparent return date. “When I was talking to the Miami Heat, some of their personnel said, ‘Tyler Herro will be ready to go at the beginning of the regular season.'”

With zero minutes during the preseason, if true, the 25-year-old will suit up for the regular season opener on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Previously, the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year was very confident of being ahead of the schedule. “I told [Spoelstra] I’ll be back in six weeks, so we’ll see,” Tyler Herro said during the media day. “We’ll see what they let me do. But I’m doing everything I can, icing it five times a day. I’m doing everything I can to get back on the court and be available. I just can’t wait to get back out there and playing.”

In the entire preseason, the Heat have noticed his absence. After all, last season, the All-Star guard had his best season of his six-year NBA career, averaging career highs in points (23.9 points per game) and assists (5.5 per game). Add to this his shooting contributions, again a career-best 47.2% from the field last season. So his potential return news came at the right time, as the team news some more firepower. As stated before, even their captain suffered an injury.

Adebayo came up hobbling after an awkward landing on a shot attempt. Thankfully, it’s not the worst news. The Miami Heat announced it was a right knee contusion, and the 3x All-Star made his way back to the team’s bench to watch his teammates. Even Coach Spo’s words were encouraging. “He just landed awkwardly, but he says he feels fine.” It was the first time that Adebayo and Ware played their first minutes together of the preseason as the Heat’s starting frontcourt.

Injury trouble even for Tyler Herro’s replacement

Against the Hawks, Spoelstra preferred the starting lineup of Dru Smith, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, and Kel’el Ware. Let’s also remember that guard Smith is back after less than a year after tearing his Achilles. So, if we assume that Tyler Herro will be ready for the first game, will he be 100%? With the question, Heat may put their star guard on a minutes restriction. In that case, the opportunities for other guards improve, but again, that’s not straightforward.

Kasparas Jakucionis is the Heat’s 19-year-old rookie, is an option to fill minutes at the guard spot with Herro out. But even he was out of Monday’s exhibition in Atlanta because of right hip soreness. In the previous game, he played just four minutes against the Magic before leaving the contest late in the first quarter. Apart from this, the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft also missed the first two exhibitions because of a sprained left wrist. So his only full preseason game was against the Spurs.

Good news in 25 minutes, Jakucionis scored just 8 points but provided 10 assists for his teammates. Being a rookie, he will definitely need more time to adjust. That’s why rushing him is also not an option. Similarly, it’s not a good sign either that Herro might be rushing back and not being 100% after undergoing surgery in Sept. With losses piling up, there is a lot to think about for Erik Spoelstra.