The Miami Heat are riding high as they prepare to face the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night, despite the fact that Tyler Herro will be sidelined for at least another week with an ιnjury. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson were once again the Heat’s go-to scorers in Herro’s absence; they scored 82 points apiece in a 122-115 victory over the Nets.

In the midst of the Heat’s recent winning streak, though, there is one player whose contributions have mostly gone unnoticed. But Butler was quick to want to give credit where credit was due, particularly because this guy has been rock solid for the Heat since getting into the starting lineup.

When asked “what has gone right” for the Heat during their seven-game winning streak, Butler responded with “Haywood,” according to Brady Hawk of Five Reasons Sports. “Since he’s just made his move.”

Indeed, the Heat have not lost with Haywood Highsmith starting, so Jimmy Butler might have a point. While Highsmith did have five steals and two blocks in the Heat’s most recent victory against the Charlotte Hornets, his overall performance has been underwhelming and his numbers don’t stand out. Not only that, he hasn’t been scoring much either, averaging only 8.0 points per game while shooting 42% overall and 25% from outside the arc in his last seven games.

However, Highsmith has brought a new energy to the Heat and made them more versatile defensively. This has allowed Duncan Robinson to start for the Heat, who benefit from Highsmith’s defensive presence, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to shine in the Heat’s sixth man role.

Having shown signs of being an important cog in the Heat’s 2023 NBA Finals run, Haywood Highsmith is now firmly establishing himself as a franchise keeper. Highsmith is the latest undrafted athlete to demonstrate the Heat’s unmatched success in developing players, a trend that has persisted for the better part of five years.