The Haywood Highsmith signing was one to get excited about for Suns fans. Although he hadn't played all season due to injury and was cut by the Brooklyn Nets, he had already proven in previous years to be an impactful role player in a Miami Heat system that shares a similar identity to the Suns, focused on hustle and grit.
The Suns made the smart move of signing the 29-year-old through next season as well, and that decision is already paying off.
His value by the numbers
Playing just 53 minutes so far, he's already proving to be the ideal wing player for Jordan Ott and the Suns. It's a small sample size, but he holds a team-high 13.5 NETRTG as the Suns have gone 3-1 in games he plays in, and that's no coincidence.
His 7-foot wingspan allows him to size up beyond his 6' 5" frame, helping fill that hole for size on the Suns' roster and bringing unmatched value in that regard. He's put that length to use, too: on a per-minute basis, he's already leading the team in deflections and matching Jordan Goodwin's team-leading rate of steals.
And it isn't just the defense. With the Suns, he's knocked down 2 of his 4 3s and added 5 assists with 0 turnovers, and although those numbers are on such a small scale, that's consistent with what he's done in years past. With Miami last season, he had a team-low rate of turnovers-per-minute and was 3rd on the team in 3P% at 38.2%. Regardless of his value on defense, being a mistake-free, efficient shooter makes him a positive on offense, too.
His path to playing time
He faces some stiff competition on a deep Suns roster, yet he's already surpassed some prior staples of the Suns' rotation, including Ryan Dunn, whose minutes continue to decline, logging a DNP recently against Toronto.
Amir Coffey has provided some solid contributions since arriving in Phoenix at the trade deadline, but he, too, logged a DNP against Toronto to make way for Highsmith.
It comes down to how deep Jordan Ott is willing to go with the rotations (and the roster depth certainly allows for a deep rotation).
The recipe for success for Phoenix is predicated on a team able to play hard for 48 minutes (full-court defensive pressure, crashing the glass, hustling for loose balls, etc.), which warrants a deep rotation, even in the playoffs (when rotations typically tighten).
His biggest competition for playing time will be rookie Rasheer Fleming, who has been sensational as of late, and Jordan Goodwin, who has represented the hustle and grit this Suns team is all about.
However, there could be room for all of them, even once (or if) the Suns have a fully healthy roster. In this case, we could see the Suns go with an 11-man rotation, which sounds feasible at this rate.
Obviously, definitive conclusions can't be drawn so quickly, but when considering Highsmith's proven value in years past, he deserves consistent playing time. That means keeping some other guys on the bench and extending the rotation further than most other teams would be willing to go.