Heat Star Tyler Herro Reportedly Could Return in Game 2 of NBA Finals vs Nuggets

• Tyler Herro targets Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals for his much-anticipated return
• He injured his right hand during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round
• Herro underwent surgery to repair his injured right hand back on April 21

Tyler Herro may be returning to Miami’s lineup sooner than expected.

The Heat guard continues to test his surgically repaired right hand, setting Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday as a target for his return.

Herro had surgery on April 21 to fix his right hand's third and fourth metacarpal.

He picked up the hand injury while diving for a loose ball during Game 1 of their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16.

Herro's injury status

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters on Wednesday that he did not want to set a timeline for his injured star.

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Herro said after Miami’s Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals that he hoped to return at some point during the NBA Finals.

Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Herro ramped up his workouts on Wednesday to get a sense of how his repaired hand responds to contact and to see if he can suit up for the Heat in Game 2.

He stayed long after most of his Heat teammates left Ball Arena to put up extra shots in Denver’s home stadium.

Herro to help Heat's offense

Having Herro back in the lineup will be a welcome sight for the Heat, who struggled with their outside shooting in the Game 1 loss against the Nuggets.

They shot just 13 of 39 from beyond the arc in the series opener. Caleb Martin and Max Strus, who impressed in the series against the Celtics, fired blanks in Game 1 against Denver.

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Martin scored just three points on 1 of 7 shooting from the field.

Strus laid a goose egg in Game 1, going scoreless in 21 minutes of action.

He shot 0 for 10 from the floor, including 0 for 9 from the 3-point area, per Yahoo! Sports.

Herro provides Spoelstra with another scoring option in the Finals.

He averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game for the Heat during the regular season.

Before he got injured, Herro was Miami’s main threat when pulling up for threes and long twos against the opposing team’s drop back coverages.

Nuggets ease past Heat

Sports Brief recently reported on the Nuggets' win over the Heat in Game 1.

Nikola Jokic starred for Denver in the 104-93 win, recording yet another playoff triple-double.

He finished with 27 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds.