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The Miami Heat are on the brink of elimination against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals, facing a 3-1 deficit ahead of Game 5 on Monday. The Nuggets are heavily favored to close out the series and win the franchise's first championship, but as we've learned throughout this postseason, you can never count the Heat out. The Heat will have to put together a strong game on the road in order to extend this series, and they are getting a little help in that process. Miami has listed guard Tyler Herro as active for Monday night's game.

This marks the first time he's been upgraded on the injury report since fracturing his hand in the first round of the playoffs in April. Herro will suit up and return in Game 5, Erik Spoelstra confirmed prior to the game

While Herro's return may be a little too late as the Nuggets have proven to be the superior team throughout this series, the return from the guard will certainly help Miami's chances in trying to steal a win on the road. During the regular season, Herro averaged 20.1 points on 56.6% true shooting. 

Alongside Jimmy Butler, he's the Heat's best shotmaker and the only other player on the roster who can consistently create for himself and others. When healthy, Herro can operate with or without the ball in his hands, has a solid two-man game with Bam Adebayo and takes some of the pressure off Butler to be the sole source of offense on the team. 

Everything that Herro provides is what the Heat have been missing against the Nuggets and throughout this postseason. Miami has had to rely on guys like Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin to consistently contribute on offense, and when one or two of those players have an off night, the Heat struggle significantly.

We'll have to see how much Herro is able to contribute in Game 5 because, while his hand may be healed, he hasn't played in nearly two months so there's likely to be some rust there.