$Signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Heat in July of 2024. Traded to the Nets in August of 2025.
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.
Extended absence looming
FBrooklyn Nets
Knee
October 19, 2025
Highsmith (knee) experienced swelling during rehab recently and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
ANALYSIS Highsmith had hoped to be ready for Opening Night, but swelling in his right knee following Aug. 8 surgery has pushed back his return timetable significantly. Traded from the Heat on Aug. 15, the 28-year-old was expected to serve as a veteran depth piece in the frontcourt and will now look to fill that role later in the season once fully healthy.
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 %
58.3%
Effective Field Goal %
57.2%
3-Point Attempt Rate
59.6%
Free Throw Rate
11.0%
Offensive Rebound %
4.4%
Defensive Rebound %
10.9%
Total Rebound %
7.7%
Assist %
8.4%
Steal %
1.7%
Block %
2.0%
Turnover %
9.4%
Usage %
11.4%
Fantasy Points Per Game
16.3
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.7
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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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Nets 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.
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Traded to Brooklyn
FBrooklyn Nets
Knee
August 15, 2025
The Heat traded Highsmith (knee) to the Nets along with a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for a protected 2026 second-round pick Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Undergoes knee surgery
FMiami Heat
Knee
August 8, 2025
Highsmith underwent surgery Friday to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee, which he suffered while training in Baltimore, the Heat announced.
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Sees just 11 minutes
FMiami Heat
April 29, 2025
Highsmith supplied two points (1-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt), four rebounds, one block and one steal over 11 minutes during Monday's 138-83 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Notches 17 points
FMiami Heat
April 24, 2025
Highsmith finished with 17 points (6-7 FG, 5-6 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 121-112 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could be ready for Opening Night
FBrooklyn Nets
September 24, 2025
Highsmith underwent surgery on his right knee during the offseason but could be ready by Opening Night, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. "Right now, I'm six-and-a-half weeks out of surgery, so I'm doing jogging, spot-shooting, movements, and workouts," he said. "Not 100 percent. Light contact. And the plan for me is to be ready for the start of the regular season."
ANALYSIS Highsmith isn't expected to have a long-term future with Brooklyn and could see time off the bench, just as he did with the Heat in previous years. With the Nets having several forwards in need of developmental minutes, it's hard to see a scenario where Highsmith holds a significant role out of the gate in the Nets rotation in 2025-26, even if he's able to return to the hardwood for Opening Night after sustaining this injury in the offseason.