Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro will continue to test his surgically repaired right hand, and a return to the lineup for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets looms as a possibility, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.
Herro, who had surgery to fix the third and fourth metacarpal on his right hand on April 21, will continue ramping up his workouts and try to get a sense of how the hand responds to contact before making a decision, sources told ESPN.
If he’s unable to return for Game 2 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ABC), there’s confidence that Herro will be available for Game 3 on Wednesday ( 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), sources told ESPN.
The Heat visit the Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Herro suffered the injury during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Wednesday said that he did not want to set a timeline for Herro, who had said he hoped to return at some point during the NBA Finals following the Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.
Herro stayed long after most of his teammates left Ball Arena on Wednesday to get in another workout and to put up extra shots. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists during the regular season.
He could change the geometry of Miami’s offense when he returns, as he is the Heat’s main threat to pull up for 3s and long 2s against dropback coverages. He also could represent another defensive vulnerability for Denver.
ESPN’s Nick Friedell and Zach Lowe contributed to this report.