
Less than 30 minutes ahead of Monday’s contest between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, Heat guard Tyler Herro was a late scratch with a toe injury, the team officially announced.
Simone Fontecchio will start in his place.
Monday marks Herro’s 20th missed game of the season. He missed the first 17 recovering from offseason ankle surgery. But he’s dealt with a toe injury the last two weeks.
In just six games, the seventh-year guard is averaging 23.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and one steal per game. He’s shooting 50.5 percent from the floor, 40.5 percent from 3-point range and 92.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Both the Heat and Raptors enter Monday in the midst of four-game losing streaks. Something will give. There has been plenty of consternation about Herro’s infusion back to the lineup and how it’s both positively and, mostly, negatively affected the group. Erik Spoelstra shot down that criticism last week.
Fontecchio’s start will be his first of the season. Ironically enough, his last start came on March 17, 2024, against the Miami Heat when he was with the Detroit Pistons. He scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds and two blocks in that game.
Fontecchio was guns ablazin’ to begin the season, but has since cooled off. For the year, he’s averaging 9.8 points and 2.9 rebounds on 37.0 percent shooting from 3-point range. Fontecchio is one of the Heat’s best volume long-range shooters and, at the very least, can be a decoy offensively.
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