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Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith will miss the next two months after undergoing knee surgery. Who could step up in his place? (Mandatory Credit: Megan Briggs\/Getty Images)<\/p>\nMiami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith will miss the next two months after undergoing knee surgery. Who could step up in his place? (Mandatory Credit: Megan Briggs\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Miami Heat suffered a big injury blow to their wing rotation on Friday, losing forward Haywood Highsmith for at least the next two months after he underwent meniscus surgery<\/a>. A two-month timeline likely sidelines him for training camp and potentially for the start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. <\/p>\n While there is still a grey area on whether he\u2019ll miss any time, who are a few players who could see an uptick in opportunity, should that be the case? Let\u2019s examine three candidates (plus one honorable mention!).<\/p>\n While he didn\u2019t put up the most flashy numbers as a rookie, guard Pelle Larsson\u2019s impact transcended the box score. He was one of the Heat\u2019s best point-of-attack defenders, connective passers and cutters. He averaged just 4.6 points on 54.6 percent true-shooting as a rookie, but he was, by far, their best player in Summer League and is poised to have a breakout second season if given the opportunity. This injury could open up a rotation spot for him in the back-end of the rotation \u2014 especially if his shot progresses to the mean.<\/p>\n Jaime Jaquez Jr.:<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a roller coaster two seasons for Jaquez, who endured a sophomore slump after finishing fourth in the NBA in Rookie of the Year voting. His 3-point shooting struggles continued in his second season, shooting just 31.1 percent from distance. He did a poor job developing counters when he was getting to the rim and defender \u2014 both individually as a team defender. I\u2019m not selling any stock yet, but he\u2019ll need to have an encouraging third season if he wants to earn a second contract with Miami (he\u2019s extension-eligible next offseason). This could be the opportunity he needs.<\/p>\n Simone Fontecchio:<\/p>\n Earlier this week, it was floated that the Heat could potentially waive-and-stretch Fontecchio to save luxury tax space. I don\u2019t know how much merit there is to that, but what I do know is that Fontecchio \u2014 who they acquired in the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade \u2014 has a skill that this team needs: 3-point shooting. He\u2019s a bigger wing and still a little bit of a one-trick pony, but I think he can thrive in a secondary opportunity as a floor spacer off the bench.<\/p>\n Honorable Mention: Keshad Johnson<\/p>\n Johnson didn\u2019t get to showcase much as a rookie. But his skillset is duplicitous to Highsmith\u2019s \u2014 and, frankly, I think Johnson has a higher ceiling. I still don\u2019t know if he begins the season in the Heat\u2019s rotation, even with this injury news. But he\u2019s bigger, stronger, more athletic and is capable of being most disruptive defensively \u2014 despite being a slightly worse shooter (relative to when Highsmith first entered the NBA). <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n To check out our other content, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter\/X\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Subscribe to our YouTube channel\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t\t\t