As just the second No. 8 seed to ever advance to the NBA Finals, the Heat are on one of the most impressive runs in NBA history. Adding to the difficulty of Miami's feat is the fact that the team has been without Tyler Herro, who has been out since breaking two bones in his right hand in the first game of the playoffs.
A number of players have stepped up in Herro's absence, but there is no doubt that Miami has missed the presence of its third-leading scorer. That could soon change, though, as Turner Sports' Chris Haynes has reported that Herro is targeting Game 3 of the Finals to make his return to the floor.
Herro last played on April 16, meaning his return in Game 3 of the Finals on June 7 would come just shy of eight weeks since he first went down. In anticipation of his return, Herro has been ramping up his conditioning and on-court work, but questions still loom around his ability to return to form after suffering an injury to his dominant hand.
As Herro prepares to take the floor to help Miami's push for a historic Finals win, The Sporting News reached out to medical expert Dr. Michael S. George of the KSF Orthopaedic Center in Houston, who detailed the specifics of Herro's injury and potential limitations in his return.
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Expert medical analysis on Tyler Herro's return from broken hand
What is Tyler Herro's injury?
"Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has been out of action since suffering fractures of the third and fourth metacarpals in his right hand during the first round of the NBA Playoffs. These fractures involve the bones in the hand that lead to the middle and ring fingers."
How is Tyler Herro's broken hand treated?
"The fractures were treated with open reduction internal fixation, which means a combination of plates and/or screws were implanted to align the bones.
"The fractures themselves heal in about six weeks, although the hardware stabilizes the bones enough so that early range of motion and rehab can start even before the fractures are completely healed, which accelerates the overall recovery."
Will Tyler Herro be limited in his return to the court?
"Once the bones are healed, there is no harm in returning to full activity, but the speed of recovery is determined by how long it takes for the stiffness and strength to normalize in the hand and fingers because fingers tend to get very stiff even with a short period of immobilization."
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Can Tyler Herro return to his normal level of play?
"A 2017 report on NBA hand injuries by Morse and colleagues in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine included 26 players with metacarpal fractures. The average return to play after surgery was 57 days, or just over eight weeks.
"With the Heat in the NBA Finals, Herro is trying to come back at about six weeks after surgery, which is certainly possible but shorter than the average. He will undoubtedly be rehabbing the hand and fingers around the clock to regain his strength and motion as soon as possible."
Are there long-term concerns with Tyler Herro's return?
"Eventually, he should be able to return to play without any lingering issues. In 2016, Guss and colleagues looked at 32 NBA players with metacarpal fractures and found that there was no change in performance for the two years following the injury.
"It will be very interesting to see how he progresses over the coming days and if he has any trouble with ball handling, or with follow through on his shot"
