The injuries have continued to pile up for the Miami Heat, as point guard Tyler Johnson will be out for an extended stretch with a shoulder injury and will undergo surgery. The team released a statement and announced that Johnson will have undergo rotator cuff surgery in his left shoulder.
Johnson is the latest player to deal with an injury for the Heat, as Hassan Whiteside, Luol Deng, Goran Dragic and Beno Udrih have missed time with injuries this season. Shams Charania at Yahoo Sports reports that sources have said that Johnson is expected to miss "two-plus months" while recovering from the surgery.
The team statement said that Johnson will undergo surgery on Wednesday and that the procedure will be performed by team doctor The procedure will take place this Wednesday, February 3 at Doctors Hospital in Miami and be performed by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Doctors Hospital in Miami. Johnson missing time is significant for the Heat, as Johnson has been a solid backup guard behind Dragic this season.
Johnson is shooting 48 percent overall from the field and is hitting nearly 39 percent from three-point range while averaging 18 points per game. Dragic and Udrih have returned from injuries, but losing Johnson means the team is down a rotation player for Erik Spoelstra. Miami may look at signing a player to help fill the void for Johnson, while Pro Basketball Talk writes that it "will be interesting to see whether this affects what the Heat do at the trade deadline, because they need bodies."
Miami is right in the middle of a crowded eastern conference playoff race, with the Hawks, Celtics, Pistons and Pacers all in close range. Miami has been getting a boost lately from a surprising place, as Amar'e Stoudemire has been earning minutes off the bench. According to the Miami Herald, Stoudemire is starting to play a bigger role for the team, as he has started the past five at center with Whiteside injured.
Stoudemire is averaging a solid 9.0 points and 8.4 rebounds while putting in around 22 minutes per game after being a scratch for all but three of the first 28 games of the season. The Herald reports that Spoelstra said that Stoudemire will continue to get minutes after his strong play and that he will be a factor in "big games and big situations" moving forward.