Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Playing through bone bruise
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Highsmith is listed as available for Friday's game versus the Pacers despite dealing with a left knee bone bruise.
While it's unclear when Highsmith picked up his bone bruise, it isn't expected to force him to miss any action. With Jimmy Butler (ankle) still out, Highsmith should draw another start against Indiana.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Busy on defense in first start
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Highsmith had seven points (2-5 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, one block and five steals over 33 minutes during Sunday's 95-94 victory over the Timberwolves.
Making his first start of the season with Jimmy Butler (ankle) out, Highsmith tied his career high in steals for a game, although he didn't offer much else from a fantasy perspective. The 27-year-old has taken on a big role in the Heat's frontcourt rotation of late, playing more than 30 minutes in three straight contests and averaging 13.7 points, 3.0 boards, 2.3 steals and 2.0 threes during that stretch. Highsmith may shift back to the second unit when Butler's ready to return, but the former seems to be earning Erik Spoelstra's trust.
Highsmith will start Sunday's game against the Timberwolves, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
Highsmith will enter the starting lineup for the first time this season due to Jimmy Butler (ankle) being sidelined. In games where he's played 30-plus minutes this season, Highsmith holds averages of 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Season-high 35 minutes
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Highsmith finished Friday's 135-122 loss to Denver with 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt) and two assists over 35 minutes.
Highsmith and Pelle Larsson started the second half in place of Nikola Jovic and Jimmy Butler (ankle). Butler didn't return to the game, but Jovic had a productive second half off the bench. If Butler misses time, Highsmith's path to consistent playing time would be wide open. Highsmith has played at least 31 minutes in back-to-back games, totaling 35 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals during those contests.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Sees increased playing time
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Highsmith contributed 19 points (7-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds and two steals over 31 minutes during Wednesday's 115-112 loss to the Suns.
Highsmith played two and eight minutes in his last two appearances, respectively, but emerged as a key contributor in Wednesday's loss. He replaced Nikola Jovic in the Heat starting lineup coming out of halftime and set a season high in points. Jovic finished the game with just five minutes played, but it doesn't appear he sustained an injury during the contest. If that's the case, Wednesday's contest could be the start of Highsmith's push for a more secure role. The 27-year-old has appeared in five of seven games for Miami after averaging 20.7 minutes per game in the regular season during 2023-24.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Returns to bench
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Highsmith won't start Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Magic.
With most of Miami's regulars resting during the preseason finale, Highsmith drew a spot start. However, aside from Josh Richardson (shoulder), the Heat are healthy heading into the regular season, so Highsmith should handle a minor reserve role off the bench against Orlando.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Will start vs. Memphis
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Highsmith is in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Grizzlies.
The Heat are resting most of their regulars in the preseason finale since the start of the regular season is right around the corner. Jimmy Butler (rest) is among those out, which means Highsmith, who has had a solid preseason, will get the nod alongside Dru Smith, Pelle Larsson, Thomas Bryant and Nikola Jovic.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Leads bench with 16 points
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Highsmith logged 16 points (6-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and four rebounds over 17 minutes in Wednesday's 120-111 preseason win over Atlanta.
Highsmith led the Heat reserves in scoring Wednesday, and he was third on the team in that category behind Jimmy Butler (24) and Tyler Herro (19). Highsmith averaged a career-high 20.7 minutes per game across 66 regular-season outings (26 starts) last year, and he opted to stay in Miami by signing a two-year, $11 million deal with the Heat in early July. The 27-year-old will provide Miami valuable depth in the frontcourt alongside Jaime Jaquez and Kevin Love.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Remains in Miami
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Highsmith and the Heat agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Wojnarowski reports that Highsmith received significant interest around the NBA, but the forward chose to remain with the team that developed him into the player he is today. Highsmith made 66 appearances during the 2023-24 regular season, posting averages of 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He's likely to be a fringe rotation player for the Heat during the upcoming season.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Does it all in loss
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Highsmith posted nine points (4-8 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block across 28 minutes in Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game loss to the 76ers.
Highsmith has seen an increase in both playing time and production in April, when he averaged 7.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.7 minutes. This is a significant improvement from March, where the 27-year-old averaged 5.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.3 steals in 16.7 minutes. With Jimmy Butler (knee) out for Friday's matchup against the Bulls, Highsmith is expected to garner an uptick in playing time behind Jaime Jaquez.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Plays well with 18 points
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Highsmith closed with 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-4 3Pt), five rebounds, two assists and one steal over 25 minutes during Sunday's 121-84 win over the Cavaliers.
With 18 points on the night, Highsmith finished one point shy of his season-best mark. This certainly appears to be an outlier performance, however, as he's averaging a mere 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in March.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Moves to bench
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Highsmith isn't in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cavaliers.
Highsmith will be replaced by Nikola Jovic in the starting five Wednesday. Highsmith is averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.5 minutes across his last 10 appearances coming off the bench.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Starting Sunday
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Highsmith will start Sunday's game against the Pistons.
With Jimmy Butler (foot) and Nikola Jovic (hamstring) out, Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez are joining the starting lineup. As a starter (24 games), Highsmith has averaged 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 22.6 minutes per game.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Fails to fire in return to action
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Highsmith registered two points (1-5 FG, 0-4 3Pt), one rebound and one block across 19 minutes during Saturday's 126-120 win over the Jazz.
Highsmith returned to action Saturday, scoring two points in an underwhelming performance. He continues to deal with a knee issue, which could result in him popping up on the injury report for at least the next few games. With that said, he typically serves as a bench piece when the Heat are healthy, meaning fantasy managers can safely target alternative options on the waiver wire.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Good to go
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Highsmith (knee) is available for Saturday's matchup with the Jazz, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Highsmith was available for the Heat's previous game, but he ultimately did not see the floor. This came after he averaged 22.7 minutes over his prior six games. Thus, it remains to be seen if his availability will result in time in the rotation.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Deemed questionable for Saturday
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Highsmith is questionable for Saturday's game against the Jazz due to a left knee effusion.
Highsmith wasn't listed on the injury report ahead of Thursday's loss to Denver, but he didn't see any playing time after averaging 22.7 minutes over his prior six appearances. Highsmith is one of four Heat players listed as questionable for Saturday's game.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Tale of two halves
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Highsmith produced 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt), four rebounds, one block and three steals in 29 minutes during Monday's 121-110 victory over the Kings.
Highsmith scored all 15 of his points in the first half, which was a factor in Miami nearly squandering a 20-point lead in the second half, but the Heat ultimately prevailed. Highsmith is posting career highs of 38.1 percent efficiency on 3.0 threes per game this season, and his contributions Monday were critical with Jimmy Butler serving a one-game suspension and Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier sidelined by knee injuries.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Chips in 16 points off bench
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Highsmith posted 16 points (5-13 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals across 36 minutes during Wednesday's 109-104 win over the 76ers.
Highsmith scored in double digits for the first time since the Celtics game Jan. 25. His 36 minutes of play came with Jimmy Butler (personal), Terry Rozier (knee) and Josh Richardson (shoulder) sidelined for Wednesday's contest. Highsmith will likely see his role decrease after the All-Star break when Butler returns to action.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Not injured during car accident
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Highsmith (personal), who has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs, didn't sustain any injuries in the car accident he was involved in Tuesday night, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Although Highsmith wasn't injured and hasn't been charged in connection with the car accident, he hit a person helping another driver stuck in the middle of the road. The man who was hit is in critical condition and suffered a partial amputation of his leg, so it's unclear whether Highsmith will miss additional time due to emotional distress or legal ramifications pertaining to the incident. The Heat's next game in Saturday in Boston.
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Heat's Haywood Highsmith: Involved in car accident
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Highsmith (personal), who has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs, was involved in a car accident on his way home from Tuesday's matchup against the Magic, Wes Goldberg of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.
While Highsmith had already been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup, it's unclear whether he's dealing with injuries that will force him to miss additional time. However, the Heat have a few days off before Sunday's game against Boston.
