The Miami Heat seem to be rounding into form as we near the final stretch of the NBA regular season. The Heat have won five straight games and have the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference with less than 20 games to play.
The addition of Joe Johnson has been a huge spark to the Heat recently, but every Heat fan knows that Chris Bosh's health will be a key factor to how far they go. Bosh says he is feeling good but is still unsure of if or when he might return. Another player the Heat have been without is Tyler Johnson, who was very good for them earlier this season.
Johnson had shoulder surgery at the beginning of February and at the time the Heat were convinced he would not return. He has said all along that he will do everything he can to get back on the floor, but the Heat said they were not counting on, or expecting, him to return. A little more than a month later and Johnson continues to be optimistic about his potential return, ramping up his activities.
Earlier this week it was reported that Johnson was seen doing some ball handling with both hands. He's also been traveling with the team and is able to do basically everything on the court besides shoot. The 23-year-old guard says he still has some pain when he shoots the ball, but the fact that he is able to do everything else makes it seem like he could be back at some point this season.
Even though Johnson is making progress, he all but guaranteed he will not be back before April. Miami could really use Johnson back because they lack a true backup point guard with him out and Beno Udrih having been waived. Rookie Josh Richardson has been handling the backup point guard duties, with Justise Winslow and Dwyane Wade doing a lot of the ball-handling. Richardson has done a fine job, but Johnson is the better player.
Through 36 games this season Johnson is averaging 8.7 points, 3 rebounds and 2.2 assists while making 49 percent of his field goals. Johnson is also the team's best three-point shooter (38 percent), an area where the Heat have struggled this year. Johnson returning this year is still not a guarantee by any means but it feels more likely now than it ever has and that's big for Miami.
