Tyler Johnson’s injury not a severe as feared.
Tyler Johnson thinks ankle will be better in days, not weeks
MILWAUKEE — Tyler Johnson’s relief came when he learned he did not have a knee injury. Everything else, including the amount of time he will be out for the Miami Heat, became secondary at that moment.
“I was actually really worried, because initially it felt like my knee popped,” Johnson said Wednesday of the injury that occurred during the second half of Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. “And so that’s why I went down, I started grabbing at my knee. And that was what was more worrisome than anything else.”
While he is not exactly taking comfort in what has been diagnosed as an ankle and Achilles sprain, he also is taking the short view with his absence.
“I don’t think it’s going to be weeks,” he said at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, as the Heat prepared for Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “I don’t think it’s weeks just based off the fact that when I walk on it, it just gets really sore after. So the fact I’m able to at least put a little bit of pressure on it is a good sign.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra said the team now is in waiting mode.
“He is feeling better,” he said. “We did not get an MRI. It’s just an ankle sprain at this point, and we’ll continue to treat it and evaluate.”
Johnson walked the court alongside teammates at the morning shootaround in a foot-to-knee walking boot.
“I haven’t really been given a timetable,” he said. “It’s more of like an ankle and Achilles sprain, so it’s just a weird spot. So we’ll see. Once we get all the swelling out, I think we’ll have more of an idea of the timetable.”
His concern about a knee issue is what kept him down on the court longer than his typical bounce-back approach after injuries.
“I’ve never had a bad knee injury, so I didn’t know what it felt like,” he said. “I was just thankful once I got to the back and my adrenaline kind of went down, that the pain in my knee wasn’t nothing that I’ve really had never felt before after all.”
The injury happened when Bulls center Robin Lopez landed on Johnson’s ankle.
“My foot was down, and it just got tangled up,” he said.
Immediately, the entire bench came to his side along the opposite baseline.
“I mean, it’s love,” he said. “We give anybody and everybody on our team that type of support, which is a great feeling to know that guys genuinely care about you.
“But, at the same time, that’s what’s so hurtful about sitting, is that you can’t be there to fight with those guys.”
With Johnson not available, the Heat recalled guard Derrick Walton Jr. from their developmental-league affiliate, the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Walton, who is on a two-way contract, has less than two weeks of NBA eligibility remaining on his deal, with two-way players limited to 45 days in the NBA per season.
Derrick Jones Jr., the Heat’s other player on a two-way contract, also is in the final two weeks of his NBA eligibility.
Point guard Goran Dragic said Jones has been a boost amid the Heat’s injuries at shooting guard. Dion Waiters is awaiting season-ending ankle surgery and Rodney McGruder is not expected back until next month from his preseason leg surgery.
“He’s got a nice outside shot, too,” Dragic said of Jones. “He reminds me of [former Heat forward] Gerald Green a little bit, especially. He can be really good. He’s long, athletic, a guy who can defend multiple positions.” Spoelstra reiterated his all-hands-ondeck theme.
“We don’t have a lot of options at the perimeter positions,” he said.
Walton went into Wednesday having appeared in 12 games with the Heat this season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 assists in 8.8 minutes of action per game, shooting .333 from the field and ,455 on 3-pointers.
With the Skyforce, Walton has appeared in 11 games, averaging 16.1 points, 7.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.36 steals in an average of 32.4 minutes, shooting .431 from the field, .371 on 3-pointer range and .909 from the line. In his most recent G League game, on Saturday, he closed with 25 point, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a victory over the Toronto Raptors’ affiliate.