Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat shoots the ball against Donte Divincenzo #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at Target Center on January 06, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. David Berding Getty Images
While the result was the Miami Heat’s most lopsided defeat of the season, Tuesday night still represented a step in the right direction for guard Tyler Herro
After missing 30 of the Heat’s first 36 games this season because of injuries, Herro played in his first game since Dec. 9 in Tuesday night’s 122-94 blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center that marked the start of a four-game trip for Miami.
“It felt good to be back healthy, be back on the court,” Herro said, with the Heat continuing its trip on Thursday against the Chicago Bulls at United Center (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun and NBA TV). “Obviously, I would like to have won the game, but it just felt good to be healthy.”
Herro, who had not played in 13 of the previous 14 games because of a right big toe contusion, finished his first game action in four weeks with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 shooting from three-point range, nine rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes on Tuesday.
“I felt good,” Herro, 25, said when asked how close he felt to his usual self in his return. “Like I said, just being out there was my biggest thing that I wanted to feel, and that’s how I felt. I felt good.”
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) reacts after sinking a three pointer in the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks during their NBA basketball game at Kaseya Center in Miami on November 26, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
One of the most notable aspects of Herro’s return is he played off the bench against the Timberwolves.
Tuesday marked only the third game that Herro has played off the bench since the start of the 2022-23 season. His other two other games as a reserve during this stretch came on April 5, 2024, and April 7, 2024, after he returned from a 20-game absence due to right foot medial tendinitis.
“It’s cool,” Herro said of playing off the bench. “It’s not really an adjustment, just playing basketball.”
After those two games off the bench toward the end of the 2023-24 season, Herro returned to a starting role. It remains to be seen how long Herro will play as a reserve after making his return Tuesday from a toe injury.
Herro proved to be a quality bench player earlier in his career, becoming the only Heat player to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2021-22 season before turning into a fixture in the Heat’s starting lineup.
“That’s just a decision,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked to explain bringing Herro off the bench Tuesday.
Spoelstra didn’t want to answer any questions regarding whether he plans to continue to play Herro as a reserve.
“I’m not going to get into any of that right now,” Spoelstra said following Tuesday’s 28-point loss.
Whether Herro plays as a starter or reserve, Spoelstra expects his return to help the Heat. After all, Herro was the Heat’s lone All-Star and averaged a career-high 23.9 points per game on 47.2% shooting from the field and 37.5% shooting from three-point range last season.
“He’s a value add. It’s as simple as that,” Spoelstra said. “We need him back, and it’s good to have him healthy and feeling good about his health.”
Herro, who also missed the first 17 games of the season due to left ankle surgery he underwent in September, has averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field and 39% from three-point range in his seven appearances this season.
The Heat is 3-4 in the seven games that Herro has played.
“We want him to get out there and want him to be himself as much as possible,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said. “So it’s good to have him out there, it’s good to hear his voice. He’s another scorer for us. We’ve got to put it together collectively and get a win.”
Herro’s return comes with an adjustment period, but one that the team knows it needs to go through to find out what it can be when healthy.
“Getting back to full strength, full health, we got to figure out our identity with that,” Heat guard Norman Powell said. “Some guys aren’t going to get the minutes, looks, touches, whatever it is. But we can’t let that affect how we want to play on a nightly basis. We should be a tougher team when we get healthy. And I think when we have gotten those moments, it’s kind of gone sideways a little bit with guys and uncertainty.
“But we got to kind of get out of our own way and go out there and put on a brand of basketball that is about winning, about togetherness, about toughness and about a style of basketball every single night, no matter who’s in the lineup.”
Now that Herro is back, he just wants to remain available for the Heat.
“Just keep myself healthy,” Herro said of what he wants to accomplish in the coming days and weeks. “I just want to be healthy.”