The Miami Heat have a new battle to fight on the injury front. On Tuesday (Nov. 14), the team's practice went awry when forward Okaro White suffered a foot injury. The full extent of how bad the injury may be is not yet clear, but the team doesn't appear ready to take any chances with it at this point. According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, White will be sitting out a pivotal game on Wednesday night - the team might not even notice, though, judging by his recent playing time.
White won't play Wednesday
Not much has been disclosed about the injury, but multiple Heat beat reporters tweeted out news of the left foot injury that was sustained in practice on Tuesday. The news was widely spread around 5:30 PM local time. All that's known is that he will be examined on Wednesday and won't play in the team's home game against the Washington Wizards. For now, one can assume that White is day-to-day, pending the results of Wednesday's examination.
This is not the first time White has dealt with an injury this season. He missed the preseason finale with a shoulder injury he suffered in a previous game.
The shoulder sprain lingered into the regular season, forcing him to miss the season opener against the Orlando Magic and beyond. He finally came off the injury report on October 20 but didn't make his season debut for another ten days, when White played 17 minutes in a Miami loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Losing his spot in the Heat rotation
Injury or not, White's future in Miami is in serious jeopardy. He started the first four games of the month, but combined for just 14 points and 10 rebounds in those contests, quickly losing ground in playing time at that time. When Dion Waiters returned from missing time for personal reasons, the team shifted Justise Winslow to the power forward spot and relegated White back to the bench - he hasn't played in a game since.
For the season, White is averaging just 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. While his scoring has slightly improved from his rookie campaign, his rebounding has diminished, and his playing time has largely plateaued. The 25-year-old saw his opportunities for the season fall by the wayside when the Heat managed to retain their top two free agents and bring in big man Kelly Olynyk on an expensive contract. The foot injury is just another obstacle as the forward tries to kick his career into high gear before it ends altogether.