Haywood Highsmith received an injury notice amid a months-long layoff

Highwood Highsmith he still has a few hurdles to clear before he can do his thing Brooklyn Nets debut. After meniscus surgery in August, the veteran forward has yet to progress to contact drills or a five-on-five scrimmage.

“He’s in a good place, he shows up every day and does his job, he’s a top professional,” Jordi Fernandez said. “He’s on the court with the coaches. He hasn’t gotten to five-on-five or contacted yet. So when he takes the next steps, we’ll let you know. But he’s done a good job. And the most important thing to me is his veteran leadership and how important he is to the rest of the group, especially the young guys.”

The whole group is quite young, so it means a lot to me to have someone like him because it really helps me. He puts his arm around a guy who needs it, but also holds him accountable if he needs to. So he’s doing his job, for sure, and that’s really good to have.”

The Nets acquired Highsmith this summer in addition to second-round selections as a hindrance to wages from Miami Heat. He said at the media day that he plans to be ready for the opening of the regular season.

Will Haywood Highsmith play for the Nets this season?

however, Highsmith experienced a setback during his recovery. The Nets announced on Oct. 19 that he will require a modified rehab program and will be reevaluated in eight weeks.

Highsmith played 194 appearances with 79 starts over the last three seasons with the Heat. He averaged 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 37.8 percent from three during that span. Erik Spoelstra talked about Highsmith’s career ahead of Thursday’s Nets-Heat matchup.

“He first joined our team during that COVID year when we really only had seven players, and he made enough of an impression on us that we gave everything we had as a staff to develop him. He gave us everything he had. He’s got a nice role in this league. It shows a lot of perseverance on his part. He had to go through the G League for a couple of years before he even had that opportunity to respect us.

It’s unclear where Highsmith will fit into Brooklyn’s rotation when he’s healthy. The Nets are trying to develop an NBA-record five rookies first-round picks and already have several veterans in their backcourt rotation.

Highsmith has an expiring contract of $5.6 million. The Nets could snag him in trades before the Feb. 5 deadline.