Heat expect Tyler Herro back Monday vs. Mavericks

Tyler Herro is finally close. The Heat guard is targeting Monday’s game against the Mavericks for his season debut as he wraps up his recovery from ankle surgery, per Tim Reynolds of the AP.

Herro returned to practice last Sunday — his first full session since September — and both he and coach Erik Spoelstra have sounded confident about the fit.

Miami’s offense looks a lot different this early season, ditching the heavy pick-and-rolls for a faster drive-and-kick style, but Spoelstra believes Herro will slide right in.

He’s coming off his first All-Star season, averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 boards while shooting 37.5 percent from three. Last year, he handled a ton of the playmaking. This year? The Heat want pace, quick decisions and movement. And they also have Norman Powell.

Powell has been on an early hot streak. Through 11 games heading into Wednesday, he’s putting up 25.5 points and hitting 46.1 percent from deep. He won’t keep that exact pace forever, but he’s been a 40 percent career shooter over 11 seasons. Miami hasn’t had two wings this explosive from deep in a while.

So who comes off the bench when Herro returns? That’s the question.

Davion Mitchell has started all 14 games and been rock steady, averaging 7.4 assists and giving them real point-of-attack defense — something neither Herro nor Powell is known for.

Spoelstra will likely tinker. Herro was the Sixth Man of the Year not long ago, Powell has embraced that role in the past, and Mitchell’s defense is hard to take off the floor.

But adding Herro’s scoring punch back into this mix is a major lift for a Heat team trying to climb the East standings.