MIAMI — All-Star guard Tyler Herro is ready to make his season debut, and the high-scoring Miami Heat are about to get their leading scorer from last season into the lineup.
The Heat were welcoming Herro back for Monday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after he missed the first 17 games of the season while recovering from surgery.
“I’m really excited for Tyler,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I know how much work he’s been putting in.”
But Herro’s return does not mean Miami is at full strength. Norman Powell — the team’s leading scorer this season at 25.4 points per game — had an MRI on Monday that confirmed he has a mildly strained left groin. He won’t play against the Mavericks. Powell is considered day to day, the Heat said.
Heat forwards Andrew Wiggins (strained left hip flexor) and Nikola Jovic (right hip impingement) also remain out for the game against Dallas.
Herro underwent surgery in September to repair an issue affecting his left ankle and foot. He was the team’s leading returning scorer coming into the season, then needed the procedure to alleviate posterior impingement syndrome in the ankle.
Miami enters Monday as the NBA’s top-scoring team, averaging 124.9 points per game. Herro has said he doesn’t expect that he’ll have any trouble fitting into Miami’s new faster-paced scheme.
“I don’t think it’ll be a major adjustment,” Spoelstra said.
Last season was the best of Herro’s career, with him averaging 23.9 points — 3.1 points higher than his previous best — while also playing in a career-best 77 games and making the All-Star team for the first time. He also won the league’s 3-point contest at All-Star weekend.
“I’m happy for him, and happy that we can start this process with him in the mix,” Spoelstra said.
