Will Tyler Herro Play Against the Bucks on Wednesday? Starting Heat Shooting Guard Looks Unlikely to Return
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Tyler Herro launched himself on the basketball court in the first half of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he tried for a loose ball. He was favoring his right hand the rest of the time he was out there and didn’t return the rest of the game after being ruled out at halftime. Miami officially diagnosed his injury as a broken hand and that he won’t play in Game 2. Chris Haynes of TNT Sports, later reported that Herro’s injury will sideline him for 4-6 weeks. How can Miami respond and deal with this loss, especially in a tough loss like this?
Tyler Herro vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Herro had 12 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds in the game before he was injured against the Bucks. He also shot 50% from three-point range and 55.6% from the field overall. Herro’s only played in two games against Milwaukee this season, but his averages were at 19 points, 3.5 assists, and 5 rebounds.
He also shot 33% from three-point range and 38% overall from the field, according to Lineups’ Player Stats profile. He was matched up against Grayson Allen most of the time when Miami’s played Milwaukee, and he’s not necessarily known for his defense. In three games against Miami this year, Allen averages 16 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds per game. He also has shot 52% from three-point range and 50% from the field across those three games too. That matchup would be interesting moving forward because of how similar each plays to each other.
Miami Heat’s Shooting Guard Options vs Milwaukee Bucks
| SG Depth Chart Order, Per Lineups | Player | Avg. MPG 2023 Season |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Herro (o) | 34.9 |
| 2 | Max Strus | 28.4 |
| 3 | Duncan Robinson | 16.4 |
| 4 | Gabe Vincent | 25.9 |
Expect a rotating cast of players to fill in for Tyler Herro for the time he’s out. The Heat don’t have any player on the roster that can get as hot as Herro can from behind the arc or just in general when he gets it going. However, they can try and replace his production with some combination of Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin.
Oladipo is the more athletic and experienced player. He’s capable of still starting in the NBA for a few other teams, but for Miami he could provide a spark in Herro’s place, even though he can’t replicate his consistency or overall production. This season he averaged 11 points, 3.5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game, while also shooting 33% from three-point range and 40% from the field overall. There’s definitely worst options the Heat can go to in this situation because Oladipo is a former NBA All-Star and former All-Defensive team member too. Oladipo also averaged 12 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds against Milwaukee. He also averaged 29% from three-point range and 36% from the field in the three games against Milwaukee he played in.
Caleb Martin is the next option to help out with Tyler Herro out. Martin averages 10 points, 2 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. He also averaged 36% from three-point range and 46% from the field overall. Martin has been a spark plug when needed this year for Miami. He can defend well and shoot when needed for the Heat. He’s played better than Oladipo against Milwaukee this season. He averaged 17 points, 1 assist, and 7 rebounds. He also shot 36% from three-point range and 48% from the field overall.
Each player should be able to take advantage of their matchup against Grayson Allen too on defense. Herro is a loss, but it’s one where the matchup isn’t terrible for them.
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks Odds
The Milwaukee Bucks are an 9-point home favorite against the Miami Heat in Game 2 and are at -365 on the money line because oddsmakers are convinced that Milwaukee will have a bounce back game after the way they played in Game 1, even if the Bucks don’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks are also still big favorites to win this series at -295, while the Miami Heat are at +235 on the series. Oddsmakers haven’t adjusted much in this series because even though Giannis Antetokounmpo is injured for the Bucks, they have more depth overall compared to the Heat who might struggle more trying to find someone consistent enough to fill Tyler Herro’s role on offense.
