Shocking News: Heat’s Outstanding Key Man Reveals Haywood Highsmith Reason Behind 7-Game Win Streak

Shocking News: Heat’s Outstanding Key Man Reveals Haywood Highsmith’s Reason Behind 7-Game Win Streak

Heat’s Jimmy Butler reveals Haywood Highsmith reason behind 7-game win streak
Jimmy Butler wanted to give Haywood Highsmith his due praise for the part he’s played in the Heat’s 7-game winning streak.

Despite the injury to Tyler Herro that would keep him out for at least one more week, the Miami Heat have gone on a roll, winning six straight games heading into their Thursday night battle against the Brooklyn Nets. Without Herro, the onus to create offense has fallen on Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson, and they delivered once again, with that trio combining for 82 points in the Heat’s 122-115 over the Nets.

But amid the Heat’s hot streak, there’s a player who has gone under the radar as far as their impact on winning goes. But Butler, without hesitation, wanted to give this man his due props, especially when he has been more than solid for the Heat ever since he moved to the starting lineup.

 

 

“Haywood,” Butler answered when asked “what has gone right” for the Heat during their seven-game winning streak, per Brady Hawk of Five Reasons Sports. “Because he’s starting.”

The Heat, indeed, have not lost with Haywood Highsmith in the starting lineup, so Jimmy Butler may be onto something with his words. Highsmith hasn’t exactly set the world on fire; his surface-level stats aren’t particularly eye-popping, although he did have five steals and two blocks in the Heat’s most recent win against the Charlotte Hornets. He also isn’t scoring particularly well, averaging 8.0 points per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from deep over the past seven games

But Highsmith has given the Heat an infusion of youthful verve and a more switchable presence on defense; it has also allowed Miami to put Duncan Robinson in the starting lineup, as Highsmith gives the team the defensive presence Robinson isn’t, while Highsmith has also allowed the Heat to put Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the sixth-man role where he has flourished.

Haywood Highsmith already showed flashes of being a solid contributor for the Heat during their run to the NBA Finals in 2023, and now he’s cementing himself as a keeper for the franchise. Yet another undrafted player, Highsmith, proves that the Heat, especially over the past five years, are simply undefeated when it comes to player development.