Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson is expected to miss at least two months after he undergoes surgery on his left shoulder this week, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. The Heat have confirmed the shoulder surgery, although they say there’s no timetable for a return.
Johnson missed Miami’s last two games after aggravating the injury on Jan. 26 in a win at Brooklyn. He also missed eight games in December with a related problem.
He’s become a key part of Erik Spoelstra’s rotation in his second season, averaging 8.7 points on 48.8 percent shooting, including 38.6 percent from behind the three-point arc. He’s playing 24 minutes a game, and most of those are likely to split between current rotation members Justise Winslow and Gerald Green.
Johnson wasn’t drafted out of Fresno State, but played Summer League ball with Miami and ended up on their D-League team last season. He joined Miami on a 10-day contract in January and eventually ended up playing 32 games, averaging 5.9 points.
The surgery is likely to cost Johnson most of the remainder of the regular season, but there’s a good chance that he could return just in time to get a few games under his belt before the postseason. At the moment, Miami is first place in the Southeast Division at 27-21.