Heat All-Star Tyler Herro to miss start of NBA season
Left ankle surgery sidelines star guard for about eight weeks; timeline could push his return into November or December as Miami reshapes its rotation with Norman Powell added.
The Miami Heat announced Friday that All-Star guard Tyler Herro will miss the start of the season after undergoing successful surgery to alleviate posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle. The team said he is expected to miss around eight weeks, with earlier reports suggesting the window could be 8-12 weeks. That would place his return somewhere between mid-November and mid-December, depending on how his rehab progresses and how Miami plans its early-season rotation.
Herro suffered the setback during the offseason and initially tried to recover with non-surgical options, including platelet-rich plasma and cortisone injections, before opting for surgery. The 25-year-old guard posted a career-best 23.9 points per game, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 87.8 percent from the free-throw line. The Heat won 54 games and earned a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, but his playoff numbers dipped notably from the regular season.
In the postseason, Miami was swept in four games by Cleveland as it struggled to generate offense and matching pace against the Cavaliers. Herro’s production in the series dropped to 17.8 points per game, with 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He shot 41.5 percent overall and 31 percent from three in the series, a sharp contrast to his regular-season efficiency and scoring peak. The absence of his scoring punch will be felt as Miami looks to sustain balance around Bam Adebayo and a developing set of role players.
The Heat have not yet extended Herro, who is 25 and has two years left on his contract before he reaches the open market in 2027. The financial framing adds urgency for both sides as Miami navigates roster decisions with him out of the lineup early in the season. The team’s entry into the season without its top perimeter scorer will shift expectations for the starting backcourt and the structure of the second unit, particularly as coach Erik Spoelstra gauges how to integrate players who can create their own offense.
To offset the absence, Miami added Clippers guard Norman Powell, who averaged 21.8 points per game and shot 48.4 percent from the floor last season. Powell is expected to slide into a scoring guard role that mirrors some of Herro’s responsibilities, providing immediate offense and secondary playmaking on a roster that already includes Bam Adebayo and a group of young players.
Powell’s arrival will be scrutinized by Heat observers, as the team seeks to maintain offensive efficiency while Herro is sidelined. Powell’s ability to play off the ball, hit timely shots and attack gaps should help Miami sustain its pace and spacing, especially in lineups that require more floor-stretching and secondary ball handling. His presence could be a catalyst for the second unit and a stabilizing force when Adebayo operates as the primary focal point of the offense.
With Herro out, the Heat will lean on Bam Adebayo to shoulder a larger share of the scoring load while the coaching staff evaluates opportunities for Nikola Jovic, a longtime project with versatility on the perimeter, and Kel’el Ware, a promising big man who can provide rim protection and vertical spacing. The arrangement will test Miami’s depth and development trajectory as the team balances immediate needs with longer-term development goals for its young talent.
Herro’s return timeline centers on eight weeks from the date of surgery, which would position his comeback around the Heat’s 13th game of the season, a matchup against the New York Knicks in New York. The team will monitor his rehab closely and plan a staged ramp-up that preserves health while restoring the on-court rhythm that defined his standout 2024-25 season.
