Heat plans to use final roster spot on Haywood Highsmith. What’s developmental plan for him?
With just a little more than one month remaining before the start of the playoffs, the Miami Heat’s roster for the rest of the season looks to be set.
As forward Haywood Highsmith’s second standard 10-day contract is set to expire following Monday night’s home game against the Houston Rockets, the Heat plans to use the final spot on its 15-man roster to sign Highsmith for the remainder of the season. He has not yet signed his new contract, which is believed to be for three years and include team options.
The Heat has enough room to make the move while still avoiding the punitive luxury tax. ESPN was the first to report the news.
The Heat was forced to make a decision on Highsmith this week with his second standard 10-day deal with the team coming to an end following Monday’s game. NBA teams are allowed to sign a player to only two standard 10-day contracts before they are forced to sign them for the rest of the season if they want to retain them.
“Just trying to control what I can control,” Highsmith said to the Miami Herald after the Heat’s shootaround session on Monday morning, just minutes before news surfaced of the team’s commitment to him. “I’ve put in a lot of work, even on the off days when we’re not working out. So I’ve been trying to stay in shape and stuff. But just controlling what I can control. I think I did a solid job on these 10 days.”
Highsmith entered Monday with totals of 24 points on 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) shooting from the field and 6 of 15 (40 percent) shooting from three-point range, 14 rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 90 minutes over nine games with the Heat. He also averaged 13.6 points while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and one block in 17 games with the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats this season.
In the Heat’s developmental work with Highsmith, he said the work has been focused on “defense and shooting threes” to resemble “a little bit of P.J. Tucker.”
Highsmith, who went undrafted out of Wheeling University in 2018, shot 37.7 percent on two three-point attempts per game during his four college seasons. He averaged six three-point attempts in the G League this season.
“I was shooting good in the G League, so I’ve been trying to turn into more of a shooter,” Highsmith said. “I’ve worked on it a lot since I became a professional. But it really picked up, I feel like, this season. It’s not new, but it’s kind of new at the same time.”
Of studying Tucker’s game during his time with the Heat, Highsmith said: “He’s tough. Makes corner threes, going to defend, screen, rebound, do the little things. So I watch everything he does. I talk to him on the sideline, ask him for little things every now and then. He’s very smart IQ wise. So just trying to learn from him.”
The Heat is opting to sign Highsmith over adding a more experienced veteran. Not many attractive names became available on the buyout market this year, with center Enes Freedom as one of the only experienced players who was bought out and is still available.
With uncertainty surrounding Markieff Morris’ status for the rest of the season and KZ Okpala moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder last month, adding depth at forward made sense for the Heat.
In previous seasons, the Heat chose to invest its final roster spot in a developmental prospect toward the end of the regular season, like in 2019 with Kendrick Nunn and last May with Omer Yurtseven.
Highsmith fits that mold on both fronts as a developmental forward.
“I just try to give him pointers,” Tucker said of helping Highsmith. “That’s what it’s about. Helping each other out, teaching each other. He’s a guy trying to build his career and break into the rotation and be one of the guys. Just real little stuff to help him along the way because he’s already a good player.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 2:15 PM.
