NBA: Heat lose Tyler Herro for at least 2 weeks with sprained right ankle

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) plays in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

MIAMI— Tyler Herro will miss at least two weeks with a sprained right ankle, meaning the Miami Heat are going to be without their leading scorer this NBA season for at least the next seven games and most likely even longer.

Herro got hurt in Miami’s win at Memphis on Wednesday night. He returned to Miami on Thursday, was examined by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Harlan Selesnick, and the diagnosis of a Grade 2 sprain followed soon afterward.

Herro — Miami’s leading scorer at what would be a career-best 22.9 points per game through the season’s first eight contests — will be in a walking boot for 10 days, re-evaluated in two weeks and a return-to-play timetable isn’t likely to be finalized until then.

“Right when it happened, I felt it and I kind of knew mentally,” Herro said after Wednesday’s game. “I heard some crunches and cracks in my ankle and I’m like ‘Yeah, that’ll be it.’ So, I actually told the bench ‘I’m done.’”

"I'm just going to continue to work hard. I've been through this before. I'm going to just keep working." – @raf_tyler pic.twitter.com/Rtr6qvRSJP

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 9, 2023

It’s the second time in 2023 that Herro will miss significant time after simply trying to make a routine basketball play.

The ankle sprain came on a play Wednesday where he attempted a floater in the lane — one of his go-to shots — and landed on the foot of Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. And back in April, Herro dove for a loose ball late in the first half of Game 1 of Miami’s first-round playoff series at Milwaukee, breaking his hand on that play.

The broken hand kept Herro out for the remainder of Miami’s run to last season’s NBA Finals. This time, it’ll be at least seven games; if Herro’s ankle needs three weeks to heal, it’ll be a 10-game absence.

“We’ll get him back when we get him back,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said. “Biggest thing for him is getting healthy and being able to stay at that high level he’s been at.”

Herro was averaging 25.3 points entering Wednesday, his average dipping after scoring six points in eight minutes against the Grizzlies.

Miami plays seven of its next eight games on the road, starting with a contest at Atlanta on Saturday.