According to agent Jerry Dianis, the Miami Heat will re-sign forward Haywood Highsmith to a two-year, $11 million contract.
Highsmith, 27, was ranked among Hoops Wire’s top ten remaining free agents. At 6-foot-7, he plays both forward positions off the bench and has been an underappreciated contributor to Miami over the last two and a half seasons.
In 2018, Highsmith went undrafted out of Division II Wheeling University and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he appeared in five games as a rookie. He then spent two years overseas before signing with the Heat.
This season, he played in a career-high 66 games, averaging 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 46.5% from the field and 39.6% from three.
Essentially, Highsmith is a scrappy and team-oriented player who has developed into a great contributor off the bench or as an occasional starter. He steals his way to points and is frequently one of those players who leaves opposition teams wondering, “Where did this guy come from?” He is also a determined defender.
According to ESPN’s Chris Herring, Highsmith has improved his game each year he has been in the NBA. His 3-point shooting has significantly improved over the last three seasons (from 32% to 40%), as has his defence. According to Second Spectrum, he was third in the NBA in isolation defence this season, allowing opponents to score only 0.70 points per isolated chance.
His role could potentially grow this season, as the Heat lost forward Caleb Martin to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
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