Tyler Herro explains why he rushed back despite still rehabbing: "I was healthy enough to be out there, and I wanted to be out there"

Monday night, the red-hot Miami Heat got a boost, as star guard Tyler Herro finally returned to the lineup after missing the first 17 games of the season. Herro underwent surgery back in September and has been rehabbing and recovering ever since.

In fact, Herro says that he still has a lot of recovering and rehabbing to do. Speaking to the media following their 106-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, the crafty guard revealed that he could have waited a bit longer to suit up.

"I still got a long way to go, I still go to rehab, recover," he said. "I easily could have probably waited two weeks to come back.But I'm healthy enough to be out there, and I want to be out there, that was what was most important to me."

If Herro says that he isn't at a hundred percent just yet, it sure didn't look like it out there, as he finished with a team-high 24 points on 12 of 18 from the field to go along with seven rebounds and three steals in his season debut.

With their win against the struggling Mavericks, the surging Heat have won five games in a row and are now 12-6, good for third place in the Eastern Conference. With Herro back in the fold, expect the Heat to stay hot.

Herro's return comes at the right time

Herro's return couldn't have come at a better time for the injury-riddled Heat, as leading scorer Norman Powell appears to be out indefinitely with a groin strain. At the same time, Andrew Wiggins also missed his third straight game due to hip soreness.

Also out for the Heat was Nikola Jovic, who was also dealing with hip issues.

Powell, who came over from the Los Angeles Clippers during the off-season, has been scorching this season, averaging 25.4 points on 50% shooting from the field. Wiggins has also been a crucial piece to the Heat's success this season, as the veteran forward is averaging 16.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

He himself said that he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't play alongside Powell in his season debut.

"I was bummed out when I seen that Norm was out tonight," Herro admitted. "I just wanted to see how that would come together."

Last season, Herro assumed the role of being the Heat's go-to guy, especially following the departure of Jimmy Butler. The 6'5" guard put up a career-best 23.9 points and 5.5 assists to go along with 5.2 rebounds per game, which was enough to earn him his first career All-Star selection.

With Herro's return, Powell's numbers might go down a bit, but that doesn't change the fact that a fully healthy Heat squad has the offensive firepower and the defensive chops to make some serious title contention bids.

Related: When Kobe and the Lakers stood by the Miami Heat Big 3 amid rough losing streak: "The world is better now since the Heat is losing"

Adebayo comments on Herro's return

While Herro has emerged as the Heat's main offensive weapon, the team's leader is still no doubt Bam Adebayo. The All-Star big man is the Heat's primary defensive anchor and he can obviously score with the best of them when needed. After the game, he gave his two cents on the return of his running mate.

"He was definitely getting in the paint, and he was just playing off the offense," Adebayo explained. "He wasn't doing too much; he was playing within his rhythm, and he came out with a great game." 

With Herro and Powell anchoring the offense for the Heat, Adebayo won't have to carry much of a load in terms of scoring. He can focus on what he does best and that's lock guys down and protect the rim.

Related: Erik Spoelstra reveals the genesis of Heat's league-best offense: "The most embarrassing thing I've ever been a part of"

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.