Haywood Highsmith is a forward for the Miami Heat. Highsmith has been around the league for five years and has played in three seasons. Coming into the league in 2019, Highsmith started his career in the G-League and played five games for the Philadelphia 76ers. In those five games, Highsmith averaged almost 2 points per game. For the next two years, Highsmith would go on to develop his game in the G-League, playing for the Delaware Blue Coats.
In the three seasons, he played in the G-League, Haywood put up 11 points and 6 rebounds a game. Following the 2020-21 season, Highsmith signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat.
After yet another back and forth between the NBA and the G-League, Haywood settled his spot on the Heat team, playing 54 regular season games, and starting in 11 of them. He’s been active in the playoffs as well, putting up 3 points a game so far into the postseason.
How good was Haywood Highsmith in College?
Highsmith went to the Wheeling Jesuit University where he would play for four years. Playing for a Divison II college, Highsmith was a pretty solid player. Haywood put up 22 points, 2 steals, and 12 rebounds in his senior year, as he then entered the NBA draft.
Though the youngster went undrafted, Highsmith joined the G-League right after. In his sophomore year in college, Highmsith had put up 14 points and 9 rebounds. His improvements had caught the scouts’ eyes, as two years later he was named the NCAA Divison II Player of the Year in 2018.
Haywood Highsmith tonight despite the L:
18 Points
70% FG
50% 3P23 Minutes off the bench pic.twitter.com/efPr9hYL6n
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 2, 2023
His talents were good enough to make it to the NBA, though wasn’t good enough to keep up with other players in the draft. The 2018 draft class included players like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, and DeAndre Ayton. With such star power, Haywood’s game was overshadowed by these elite college players. With his improvements in the G-League, Highsmith earned his spot in the league, playing for the Miami Heat.
Though the 26-year-old seems to have settled in the league. Haywood will come back next season, expecting to play more games in the regular season. It will be interesting to see how he develops his game moving forward to the next season.