The Philadelphia 76ers took little time in finding a player to fill the void the club had at their two-way contact spot and chose a very good candidate.
As soon as the Philadelphia 76ers parted ways with point guard Demetrius Jackson, there was already speculation on who would fill his spot on a two-way contract. Both I and my fellow Co-Site Expert of The Sixer Sense Christopher Kline, both expressed our beliefs of how Hawyood Highsmith of the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers G-League affiliate, would be a good replacement for Jackson.
Keith Pompey of Philly.com shared that he thought Highsmith being signed by the Sixers could happen. Now according to Pompey, Highsmith has been given the chance to prove himself.
Haywood Highsmith (@hay_iAMHigh) is scheduled to sign a two-way contract with the #Sixers today, according to multiple league sources. The @blue_coats wing player and #Sixers have agreed on the deal. The Blue Coats & Sixers both play today at #WellsFargoCenter. pic.twitter.com/Z7vC78Pyj7
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 8, 2019
There’s no doubt that this is a feel good story. Highsmith literally came out of nowhere (Wheeling Jesuit University) and was able to make an immediate impact with the Blue Coats.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/8/2019.
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His G-League stats show that he has plenty of potential to become a 3-and-D player in the NBA, which is something the Sixers desperately need. The current sharp shooters the Sixers do have coming off the bench in Landry Shamet and Furkan Korkmaz have been liabilities on defense thus far this season. Even when more defensively competent players like Zhaire Smith and Markelle Fultz do return from injuries, there’s no guarantee that they will be able to space the floor well.
With the addition of Highsmith, there’s a strong chance that Shake Milton may see extended time in the G-League while Sixers head coach Brett Brown evaluates Highsmith’s ability to play in the NBA. If Highsmith proves to be the 3-and-D wing that he has the potential to be in the NBA, then he might have his two-way contract converted to a regular NBA deal before the season is up.
Highsmith has shown to be a very good defender in the G-League and if he could prove that on the NBA level, he’d be a better prospect than Korkmaz at that point. If that were to occur, there’s a chance that he could overtake Korkmaz’s role off the bench and make the European wing expendable.
Highsmith has become a feel good story within the Philadelphia 76ers organization, but make no mistake, he’s more than worthy of this opportunity. He has the potential to fill a void the Sixers desperately need very well which should make him a prospect to watch moving forward.