Highsmith makes strong case to regain spot in Heat rotation: ‘It was definitely gratifying’
The Miami Heat is 57 games into the regular season, but coach Erik Spoelstra admits he’s still trying to figure out the rotation.
“Who knows what the right decisions are with this team,” Spoelstra said. “That’s just the reality. I can’t claim that I’m making the right decisions.”
But Spoelstra made the right decision in Wednesday night’s 131-109 blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center to begin an important four-game homestand, inserting forward Haywood Highsmith back into the rotation after not playing him in five of the previous six games and benching him for four straight games.
Highsmith made the most of his opportunity, recording 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range, seven rebounds (four offensive rebounds), five assists, one steal and one block in 27 minutes off the Heat’s bench in Wednesday’s win. He also posted a team-best plus/minus of plus 31 in the victory.
“I was ready,” Highsmith said, with the Heat (27-30) set to continue its homestand on Friday with a matchup against the Indiana Pacers (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “It was definitely gratifying to get the opportunity and just provide a spark, provide a plus.”
Highsmith made his presence felt right after entering Wednesday’s game for the first time with 1:26 left in the opening quarter.
During the Heat’s next offensive possession after Highsmith entered, he crashed the glass from the weak-side to grab an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer from Alec Burks and immediately passed the ball back to Burks for another three-point look.
Burks missed that shot, too, but Highsmith came away with his second offensive rebound of the possession.
Highsmith then threw the ball out to Heat forward Andrew Wiggins on the perimeter and relocated to the corner. Wiggins passed it back to Highsmith, who capped off the eventful possession by hitting a corner three with 30.1 seconds remaining in the first quarter — less than a minute after entering for his first stint of the night.
“Make an impact,” Spoelstra said of his message to those vying for playing time in the Heat’s rotation. “And H certainly did that right away with the offensive rebounds, the hustle plays. You felt his energy and he earned all those minutes. It’s what we say all the time, and I couldn’t take him out of the game.”
Highsmith, 28, said he stayed ready by “putting in a lot of extra hours in the gym.”
“I come back at night, get up shots, come early in the morning, stay late after practice, late after shootaround,” Highsmith added. “So just staying sharp and being ready. So just a lot of hours, a lot of extra work, for sure.”
This fluctuating role is nothing new for Highsmith.
Highsmith started the season by receiving two DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) during the Heat’s first four games of the season.
Then Highsmith became a Heat starter, starting in 36 of 39 games before recently falling out of the rotation to have five DNP-CDs in the six games leading up to Wednesday’s opportunity off the bench.
“I’m used to this, to be honest with you,” said Highsmith, who re-signed with the Heat on a two-year contract worth $10.8 million this past summer. “Sometimes playing, sometimes starting, sometimes playing seven minutes, 20 minutes, whatever. At the end of the day, I’m a pro. When my number is called, I’m going to be ready. If I’m not playing, I’m going to cheer on my teammates and provide energy on the bench somehow, someway.”
When Highsmith is playing, his primary responsibility is usually to defend the opponent’s top perimeter scorer as one of the Heat’s best point-of-attack defenders. Highsmith’s 6-foot-5 frame paired with his 7-foot wingspan gives him the versatility and length to effectively guard most positions on the court.
Already this season, the Heat has trusted Highsmith to use him as the primary defender on some of the league’s top scorers like Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Atlanta’s Trae Young, Boston Jayson Tatum, Los Angeles’ James Harden, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards.
Highsmith is also shooting a career-best 40.1 percent from three-point range on a career-high three three-point attempts per game this season.
“I can’t say enough positive things about H,” Heat forward Duncan Robinson said. “He just comes in with the same mindset every single day. Just the ultimate professional with his work, his habits. He’s refreshing to be around, in that sense. When his number gets called, he goes out there and does his job. I think you saw it from the bench, everybody was fired up to see him have that game because he’s put a lot into it behind the scenes.”
While Highsmith got an opportunity to log extended minutes on Wednesday, it’s clear the Heat’s rotation remains a work in progress in the wake of the Jimmy Butler trade.
The Heat opened Wednesday’s win with its new post-trade preferred starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware for the fourth straight game and fifth game overall.
The Heat then used Highsmith, Robinson, Kyle Anderson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Alec Burks off the bench. But the only Heat reserves who played double-digit minutes against the Hawks were Highsmith and Robinson.
That left Terry Rozier, Pelle Larsson (played the final 43 seconds of the blowout win) and Kevin Love out of the Heat’s rotation on Wednesday despite all of them being available to play. Rozier, who has struggled to make shots this season, has received his first two DNP-CDs of the season in the last two games.
“Basically everybody has had their opportunities at some point and we are where we are,” Spoelstra said of the rotation, as the Heat entered Thursday in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with only 25 games left in the regular season.. “So right now, there’s kind of a clear mind during this final stretch. Just give into the team, just pour into the team, pour into whatever we have to do to get wins, whether you’re playing or not playing. Just pour into the team, stay ready if you’re not in the rotation. Your number will get called, that’s happened all year long. Everybody has gotten their opportunity.”
Does Highsmith expect to receive another opportunity to play extended minutes on Friday against the Pacers after his standout performance on Wednesday? By now, Highsmith knows better than to assume anything about his role.
“Listen, I’m here,” Highsmith said with a grin. “If my number is called, I’ll be ready. If not, I’ll be cheering on my teammates.”
