The Miami Heat cleared Andrew Wiggins from a day-to-day designation Wednesday evening, just over an hour before tipoff against the Brooklyn Nets. He is available for the regular-season opener after bouncing between day-to-day and cleared tags for more than a week.
What happened
The Heat cleared Andrew Wiggins from a day-to-day designation at 6:24 p.m. ET Wednesday, hours before the team's opener against the Nets. The injury report lists no detail or body part tied to the clearance. Wiggins had carried a day-to-day tag for much of the week, including a non-injury rest designation on Saturday, Oct. 10, and an illness-related day-to-day mark on Wednesday, Oct. 7, with a brief clearance in between on Thursday, Oct. 8. No comment accompanied the report, and no return timeline was needed since he is cleared to play.
What it means for the Heat
Wiggins returns for Miami's regular-season opener against Brooklyn. Last season he averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 30.3 minutes over 68 games, production the Heat now have back from the jump. In recent minutes without him, Bam Adebayo logged 32.4 minutes and 20.1 points, Tyler Herro 31.3 minutes and 20.5 points, and Norman Powell 29.6 minutes and 21.7 points, carrying the heaviest loads. Miami has not played a regular-season game yet, so there is no record to compare with or without Wiggins on the floor.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Wiggins' cleared status holds through the opener and into Miami's following games. He swung between day-to-day and cleared tags multiple times over the past week, so his workload against the Nets and in the games after it is worth tracking. No further absence or return timeline has been announced.
Is Andrew Wiggins playing vs Nets?
Yes. The Heat cleared him from a day-to-day designation at 6:24 p.m. ET Wednesday, about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Brooklyn.
When will Wiggins be back?
He already is back. The day-to-day tag that had him listed earlier Wednesday was lifted, and he is cleared to play in Miami's opener against the Nets. No further absence has been announced.