Tyler Johnson Injury: Updates on Heat Guard's Shoulder and Return
Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson has been battling a shoulder injury, and the team announced he will miss Saturday's game against the Orlando Magic.
Continue for updates.
Shoulder Surgery on the Horizon for Johnson
Saturday, Dec. 26
Johnson had missed four straight games entering Saturday—and seven of the team's last eight. The former Fresno State Bulldogs guard played just five minutes in a Dec. 16 win over the Brooklyn Nets during that stretch. Per YardBarker.com (via the Miami Sun Times), the injury will require Johnson to have offseason shoulder surgery.
Johnson is in his second year in the league, but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra likes the progression he has seen from the guard, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
"He's the epitome of coming in every day with an approach to get better. And that's what's happened. It hasn't been overnight. It's been a year and change of consistent, focused work every single day, in our D-League, in our training camps, between practices, and earned the confidence of his coaching staff and, more important, his teammates.
"
In addition to working through a D-League assignment, Johnson had to fight through the stigma of going undrafted.
His attitude may help him overcome adversity. The shooting guard averaged just 5.9 points per game as a rookie. However, that didn't matter to him, per Winderman.
"When I go in I'm not looking to score," he said. "We've got guys who can score. I'm just looking to play defense and provide a spark and get things going. I usually guard the point or a scoring 2. I just come in and try to play as hard as I can and hope things work out."
The injury was not part of his or the team's plans. If he misses significant time, rookie Josh Richardson could see an increased role as a backup 2-guard.
