Despite averaging a career-high 20.7 minutes per game during the 2023-24 season, Highsmith still finished well outside the top 200 in standard fantasy formats, highlighting his limited per-minute upside. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.1 three-pointers and shot only 63.9 percent from the line. The Heat re-signed Highsmith for two more years during the offseason, ensuring he will remain part of the rotation for the foreseeable future. The Heat have some intriguing depth pieces including Kel'el Ware, Josh Christopher and Pelle Larsson, all of whom will be staking their claim for playing time. This could result in Highsmith seeing fewer minutes this season, making him a non-factor once again. At best, Highsmith could be considered with a final-round pick in deeper formats. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Heat in July of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Haywood Lee Highsmith Jr. was born in December of 1996 in Baltimore. He is the son of Brenda and Haywood Highsmith Sr. and has one brother. For prep school, Highsmith attended Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, graduating in 2014. Then, from 2014 to 2018, the forward attended Wheeling University in West Virginia. As a sophomore, Highsmith averaged 14.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and was named to the first team All-Mountain East Conference (MEC) squad. As a senior, Highsmith posted 22 points and 12.6 boards per contest and was named MEC Player of the Year and a first team Division II All-American. At Wheeling, Highsmith majored in business management. After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, the forward joined the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. In January of 2019, he signed a two-way contract with the 76ers. Highsmith played again for the Blue Coats in 2019-20 and spent the 2020-21 season with the Crailsheim Merlins of the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany. Highsmith's favorite food is chicken cheesesteaks.
Busy on defense in first start
FMiami Heat
November 11, 2024
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.
ANALYSIS 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.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2018
Stat Review
How does Haywood Highsmith compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
67.3%
Effective Field Goal %
66.7%
3-Point Attempt Rate
52.4%
Free Throw Rate
26.2%
Offensive Rebound %
3.3%
Defensive Rebound %
11.1%
Total Rebound %
7.1%
Assist %
4.4%
Steal %
3.1%
Block %
2.0%
Turnover %
5.3%
Usage %
11.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
19.3
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.8
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Heat Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Haywood Highsmith was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Sorare
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
When healthy, Highsmith played meaningful minutes for the Heat, albeit sporadically. Although he doesn't project as a player with a ton of fantasy upside, he could very well be a 20-minute-per-night player this season. He played 18.0 minutes per night during the 2022-23 season, compiling averages of 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. With a view to upscaling his production slightly, Highsmith could be worth considering toward the backend of deeper drafts.
Highsmith will likely find himself at the end of the Heat's rotation this season. He played 19 games last year, averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.6 minutes. His 34.8 field goal percentage, 32.1 three-point percentage and 40.1 free throw percentage were alarmingly low. However, he was pretty impressive in his time in the G League while also performing fairly well in the Summer League. With his athletic profile and defensive prowess, the Heat are optimistic that he can develop into a solid contributor. At the moment, it is unlikely that Highsmith will have much of an impact on the team unless injuries force him into an elevated role.
ANALYSIS The Sixers need to bolster their bench, and Highsmith could be a valuable option in the open market after proving his worth with the Heat during the 2023-24 campaign. He's coming off a career-best season in 2023-24 after averaging 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 39.6 percent from deep over 66 regular-season games.