Rozier and Robinson have each missed the last three games.
The Miami Heat have received some key injury updates to the status of integral players such as stars Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson before the regular season finale against the Toronto Raptors Sunday afternoon. Despite it being the season finale, the contest is an important one that will be one of the many ways to decide which pathway Miami will go in the postseason.
According to the team’s X (formerly known as Twitter), they have announced that former Charlotte Hornets point guard in Rozier will miss the outing against the Raptors. As for Robinson, he is listed as “questionable” which could be a sign of hopefulness since in prior games, he was initially ruled out.
A timeline of Rozier’s neck injury
For Rozier, this will be his fourth straight missed game as he is suffering from neck spasms where his last game played was on April 7 against the Indian Pacers. It was an uncharacteristic performance for the 30-year old as he only scored four points on two for seven shooting from the field where he even revealed after that he “shouldn’t have played” according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
“I mean, I never like to make excuses, but I shouldn’t have went, I shouldn’t have played,” Rozier said. “I felt like I hurt the team by trying to be a warrior and get out there, and I feel like I hurt myself, but we move on, can’t do nothing about it, I know it’s going to get better.”
“It might be the travel and sleep,” Rozier continued. “I don’t know. But I never felt nothing like this. I know the guys are going to get me right.”
It has been a change of pace for Rozier who has usually been one of the main, featured players on the Hornets, but as soon as he was traded before this season’s trade deadline to Miami, it was always going to be different. Averaging over 20 points per game with the Hornets, joining the Heat would mean playing with Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo who all score more or around that number.
Spoelstra talks about Rozier powering through injury initially
Though he has stated that he wants to be a part of a winning team, he has adjusted well since the move and is still explosive and aggressive. He also has no trouble facilitating the ball when necessary. Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of the Heat, praised and expressed gratitude for the player who gave it his all on the court that day following the Pacers’ defeat.
Spoelstra stated, “We just appreciate him giving whatever it is, whatever percentage.” “I won’t make an excuse for him since he won’t make one for me. I’m just grateful that he’s out there. We were merely looking for any combination that would allow us to get back into it in the second half.
When will Rozier come back for Heat?
Before the Heat loss to the Dallas Mavericks last Wednesday, Spoelstra gave an update on the status of Rozier and what his recovery will look like for a possible imminent return. He would say to the media during his press availability that once he gets “relief,” he will be out there though he also described his neck as “really jacked up.”
“As soon as he gets relief, it’s as simple as that,” Spoelstra said when Rozier will come back to the lineup. “You He needs to relax down because, you know, his neck is just so stiff right now. For those who have experienced back or neck discomfort, it simply requires time. He is carrying out all of his responsibilities.
In 31 games with the Heat, Rozier has averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 42.3 percent shooting from the field. Spoelstra would tell ClutchPoints that he is “day to day” and that his kind of injury is intermittent and may go away soon when pressed for further information about his condition.
Spoelstra remarked, “He’s day to day, it’s also one of those things that one day you wake up and it’s gone.”
