The Brooklyn Nets acquired several veterans this offseason as they enter year two of their rebuild. Among them is former Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith, who is sidelined for the beginning of training camp following an Aug. 8 knee surgery.
Before trading Highsmith, the Heat said the veteran wing would be out for 8-10 weeks. That timeline cast doubts over his availability for the start of the regular season. However, Highsmith plans to be ready for the Nets' regular-season opener on Oct. 22.
“Right now, I’m six-and-a-half weeks out of surgery, so I’m doing light jogging, spot-shooting, movements and workouts,” he said at Nets media day. “I'm not 100 percent, [doing] light contact. The plan for me is to be ready for the start of the regular season. Yes, that's the plan.”
Highsmith is among the Heat's most surprising success stories in recent memory. After spending most of his first three professional seasons in the G League and Germany, the Division II product impressed during a pair of 10-day contracts with Miami in 2022.
Following the conclusion of his second 10-day, the Heat signed Highsmith to a three-year, standard deal.
Haywood Highsmith stepping into leadership role for rebuilding Nets
Highsmith's high-level defense and three-point shooting earned him a steady role over the last three seasons. He appeared in 194 games with 79 starts during that span, averaging 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 37.8 percent from three. The 28-year-old has played in 35 playoff games, including an 18-point performance during Game 1 of the 2023 finals.
Highsmith is now the second-oldest player on a Nets team featuring an NBA-record five rookie first-round picks. Head coach Jordi Fernandez said the veteran's tutelage on and off the court will be a valuable tool for Brooklyn's youngsters.
“Obviously, one thing that can help you learn is real minutes and the other one is having somebody in front of you who knows how to do it,” Fernandez said. “I have a lot of respect for Haywood, what he’s done in his career. That’s why we want him here, because what we want to accomplish, that’s how he plays. How hard he plays, his experience in the finals. He can be very valuable right now to help us compete and win games, but also to develop the young guys.”
Highsmith's defensive acumen was the most significant factor in his success with the Heat. He's already had conversations with Fernandez about how he can help implement the coach's vision on that end of the floor.
“I've had great interactions with Jordi. We talked a number of times. When I first game traded, he called me and I got great energy from him… He's definitely trying to build something special… He honestly has some similarities to [Erik] Spoelstra,” Highsmith said. “Defense is one of those similarities. In Miami, we pressed a lot, zone pressed, and Jordi has been telling us these past couple of weeks that he wants us to pick up 94 feet. I feel like that's great. Obviously, that type of stuff wears on teams when it gets to the fourth quarter. Guys in this league are lazy; they don't like to get picked up full-court anymore.
“It's kinda like a mindset, a physicality thing, toughness thing, and just letting this team know that it's gonna be a tough night for them bringing the ball up the court. I've talked to Jordi and the assistant coaches a couple of times about having defense really be the staple of this team. We have defensive musts that we talk about every day: physicality, ball pressure, which is my M.O. I've guarded some of the best guys in this league, pressured them fullcourt, made it hard for them, been physical… I feel it's starts with defense, for sure, especially with a young team like this.”
