1 Trait that has made Heat’s Haywood Highsmith untouchable

During this past offseason, the Miami Heat let development piece Caleb Martin slip away. However, they instantly pivoted in doing their due diligence to bring back Haywood Highsmith on a team friendly deal. 

Highsmith re-signed with Miami on a two-year $10.8 million deal. Once seen as an undrafted two-way guy, he has grown into a flourishing regular rotation player in coach Erik Spoelstra’s system. He is in the midst of his fourth season on the Heat, and has impressed during this 2024-25 campaign as a starter in the frontcourt.

He is currently putting up season averages of 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game on 49% shooting and 42% from 3-point range. The versatile wing has quietly put together career-high’s in every statistical category just months after committing to a new deal for the Heat.

His durability has been reliable as well— appearing in 38 of the team’s first 40 games and manning a starting role in 31 of them. 

Haywood Highsmith’s greatest strengths come on the defensive end, where he has earned the “locksmith” nickname.

When it comes to point of attack defense on the perimeter, there is none better than Highsmith on this roster. As Miami has seen other elite individual defenders come and go over the years, (most recently in Martin) Highsmith’s ability on that end has gotten more crucial to have.

In fact, Highsmith displays a very similar game as former Heat forward PJ Tucker— who posed as a perfect fit alongside Bam Adebayo as a small ball power forward. Highsmith’s 3-and-D talents make him a perfect glue guy for any team. He is never afraid to take on the challenge of defending the opposing team’s best perimeter player, similar to Tucker’s role back in the 2021-22 season.

Haywood Highsmith has earned a reputation as a lockdown defender. Now he's also a knockdown shooter.

Highsmith has developed into an efficient floor spreader within the Heat’s offense. He can knock it down off the catch-and-shoot and pair Adebayo with the necessary spacing to play around him. After making 39.6% of his 3s last season, Highsmith is sinking 41.5% of his 3s this season. Becoming a knockdown 3-point shooter has solidified his status as a nightly rotation player in Miami.

He is viewed as one of the most impactful rotational pieces to supplement the team’s starters. His season-highs include a 15-point performance against the Denver Nuggets and eight rebounds in a game against the Houston Rockets.

It was necessary to bring Highsmith back into the fold over the summer for the wing depth. The Heat were fortunate to retain him, and it’s been clear that they value his versatility as a two-way player in the lineup. 

The result has led to consistent and impactful contributions as another undrafted success story in their system.