Heat mailbag: Are Caleb Martin’s abilities being maximized as starting power forward?
The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is back to answer your questions this season.
If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them in to achiang@miamiherald.com.
@MsSwiftie305: Is there a case for Caleb Martin being a good PF or does he thrive the most at the SF position?
Anthony Chiang: The Heat plays a positionless style of basketball. So respectfully, it doesn’t really matter. Yes, Caleb Martin played well in Jimmy Butler’s absence. But that had more to do with the fact there was a need for him to play a bigger offensive role than him playing more minutes on the perimeter with Butler out. Whether Martin is playing as a guard or forward, his primary role as part of a starting lineup that features Bam Adebayo and Butler is to space the floor with his three-point shooting. And Martin has done that very well, shooting 41.5 percent on a career-high 3.6 three-point attempts per game this season. But while Butler was out, Martin was relied on to do much more than space the floor and that’s why other aspects of Martin’s offensive game was on display during that stretch.
Martin has attempted 6.6 threes per 100 possessions this season as part of the Heat’s usual starting lineup alongside Adebayo and Butler. With Max Strus playing in place of the injured Butler as part of that lineup, Martin’s three-point attempts went down to 3.8 per 100 possessions. That doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but it represents how Martin’s offensive role changes when playing with both Adebayo and Butler.
If you want to ask whether the Heat is maximizing Martin’s full skill set by using him as a floor spacer in a starting lineup that also includes Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Butler and Adebayo, that’s a different question. Playing Martin off the bench would allow him to have the ball in his hands more as an attacker and playmaker, but there are still opportunities for the Heat to get to those kind of lineups in the middle of games when Butler and/or Adebayo are on the bench.
@sportsfanatic39: When will Pat Riley trade for a true 4? They are a piece away from actually being a contender.
Anthony: I would say Martin has been fine at the “four” spot in the Heat’s starting lineup. Miami’s new starting group hasn’t played much together this season because of injuries, but it has been effective in their limited time together. The Lowry-Herro-Butler-Martin-Adebayo combination has outscored opponents by 7.4 points per 100 possessions in 120 minutes this season.
And now with Haywood Highsmith emerging, especially on the defensive end, the Heat has some intriguing frontcourt options.
Both Martin and Highsmith have excelled on defense this season. The Heat’s defense has allowed 8.8 fewer points per 100 possessions with Martin on the court than when he has been on the bench and has allowed 10.1 fewer points per 100 possessions with Highsmith on the court than when he has been on the bench.
Rebounding hasn’t been too big of an issue either, with the Heat holding the NBA’s 10th-best defensive rebounding percentage (the percentage of available defensive rebounds a team grabs) at 72.9 percent this season.
Of course, Martin is only 6-5 and Highsmith is 6-7. More size will be needed in the frontcourt for certain matchups and that could be addressed with a trade in the coming months, but it’s not like power forward has been a huge need for the Heat early this season.
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 10:03 AM.
