Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin were at the center of one of the Miami Heat’s biggest decisions this past offseason. With the Heat’s limited salary cap flexibility, it could only afford to bring back Highsmith or Martin in free agency and not both.

The Heat initially pursued Martin and offered a contract that would have paid him in excess of $60 million over five seasons, but the two sides could not agree to a new deal. So, the Heat pivoted and instead brought back Highsmith on a relatively modest two-year contract worth $10.8 million. Martin ended up signing a four-year deal worth $35 million to join the Philadelphia 76ers. Martin and Highsmith will share the court for the first time since this past offseason unfolded when the Heat hosts the 76ers on Monday (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network — Sun) to begin a three-game homestand at Kaseya Center. While the initial plan to retain Martin didn’t work out, the Heat has been very pleased with its investment in Highsmith through the first few weeks of the season. “I can’t say enough about H,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Highsmith before wrapping up a long six-game trip on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “I mentioned it in front of the team. Tyler [Herro] has gotten a lot of the headlines, as well he should right now. …

But the tough thing about this league is you have somebody like H, who has really played at an exceptionally high level in that role as a defender, as an impact role player that fills in all the intangibles for your team. But if he’s not scoring big numbers, nobody is really going to pay attention, nobody is going to notice, nobody is going to write articles about him. That’s just the way in this league.” But Highsmith’s defense is what made the Heat notice him after he went undrafted in 2018 and then spent the 2020-21 season in the German Basketball Bundesliga.

Highsmith’s defense is also what has earned him a spot in the Heat’s rotation, as his 6-foot-5 frame paired with his 7-foot wingspan helps to give him the versatility and length to effectively guard most positions on the court. Already through the first month of the season, the Heat has trusted Highsmith to use him as the primary defender on some of the league’s top scorers like Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards.

Highsmith ranks ninth in the NBA with 3.4 deflections per game while averaging a career-high 1.7 steals per game this season. “His versatility,” Spoelstra said when asked how Highsmith has improved as a defender this season. “Not only being able to guard multiple players, but also being able to guard in different schemes. He can also play really well in our zone defense. He has a good feel for it, good instincts and that’s inspiring. We want multiple guys stepping up like that and putting their fingerprints on a game defensively, where you notice it and you don’t have to look at the analytics.” Highsmith, 27, takes pride in making an impact on the defensive end. He wants to make an NBA All-Defensive Team one day. “It’s fun, for sure,” Highsmith said of usually being tasked with defending the opponent’s top perimeter scorer. “I like to guard guys and make it hard for them to score.

These are superstar, All-Star type players, so it says a lot about Spo trusting in me to put me on those guys. I’m all about defense, so I accept the challenge. There’s no better feeling for me than getting a stop, getting a strip, getting a kill, whatever.” But Highsmith has also been helping out on the other end of the court lately, taking advantage of the defensive attention that others around him attract to find open shots for himself within the offense.

Highsmith entered Sunday shooting an efficient 10 of 24 (41.7 percent) from three-point range and 20 of 24 (83.3 percent) on two-point shots this season. Among the 276 players around the NBA who entered Sunday with at least 20 two-point shot attempts this season, Highsmith holds the league’s top shooting percentage on twos. “Just doing the little things,” Highsmith said of his role this season. “Guarding, making open shots off of different actions from our other players and just being a connector for us on offense and defense.

Just being that dog that brings out the energy from everybody on the defensive end.” Highsmith’s minutes fluctuated to begin the season, even receiving two DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) in the Heat’s first four games. But he entered Sunday’s game with double-digit minutes played in five straight games, earning a more consistent role through his quality play. After opening the season as a reserve, Highsmith has stepped into the starting lineup while Jimmy Butler has missed time because of a sprained ankle. “We appreciate it, his teammates really appreciate it,” Spoelstra said of Highsmith’s contributions. “He’s gaining confidence in that role. That’s the epitome also of the ball finds karma. He’s doing all the little things, all the dirty work and the basket gets bigger when you do that and everybody is breathing life into him, as well.” FIELD TRIP Between Friday and Sunday’s games against the Pacers, a group of Heat players, including Hoosiers alums Kel’el Ware and Thomas Bryant, made the one-hour drive from Indianapolis to Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday to attend Indiana’s men’s basketball game against South Carolina.

Herro was also in attendance, but he was there for a different reason. One of Herro’s brothers, Austin Herro, is a redshirt freshman guard on South Carolina’s roster. “My parents kind of put it on my radar a week or two ago. So I’m going to go support,” Herro said the night before going to the Indiana-South Carolina game. “I’m not a big South Carolina fan or Indiana fan, but I’m going to go and check out my little brother, for sure. “I know he doesn’t play much right now. But just to be able to go there and support him, I know he’s excited I’m coming.” Indiana won Saturday’s game 87-71 and Austin did not play. INJURY REPORT After being upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s game against the Pacers, Butler was ruled out for the contest just hours before tipoff. It will mark the fourth straight game that Butler has missed since spraining his right ankle. The expectation is that Butler will make his return when the Heat returns home to face the 76ers on Monday to complete the back-to-back set. The only other Heat players ruled out for Sunday’s game are Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson, who are both still in the G League as part of their two-way contracts.