Heat’s Caleb Martin goes from productive starter to vital reserve: ‘He’s been incredible’
The Heat didn’t throw Caleb Martin into a funk by removing him from the starting lineup. Instead, coach Erik Spoelstra actually has given him new life.
Martin has been the Heat’s most consistent and effective reserve since he was replaced by then-newly acquired forward Kevin Love in the starting lineup in the first game following the All-Star break.
After starting in his first 49 appearances of the season prior to the break, Martin has not started a game since. Monday’s memorable Game 4 playoff win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Miami marked Martin’s 28th straight appearance off the bench.
“It’s always better because you know when you’re going in, what to look for, how long you get to stay in,” Martin said of Spoelstra’s decision to consistently play him as a reserve since the break. “There’s definitely more clarity and I think it’s easier to play like that.”
Whatever adjustment is required to go from starter to reserve, Martin has made it and has continued to contribute productive minutes as a versatile defender and an athletic wing who can help space the floor with his three-point shot. He entered Wednesday averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range in 28 games since moving into a bench role.
Through the first four games of the Heat’s best-of-7 first-round playoff series against the Bucks, Martin has averaged 13.5 points, six rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 7 of 15 (46.7 percent) from three-point range off the Heat’s bench. He entered Wednesday night’s Game 5 in Milwaukee with a league-best plus/minus of plus-75 in the playoffs, as the Heat has outscored opponents by 30.8 points per 100 possessions when Martin is on the court.
“How many games can you have said that about him this year?” Spoelstra said when asked about Martin’s impactful playoff performances in the series. “That’s the kind of X-factor that he is. He has just a burst of energy and effort where you feel him immediately. He was really good for us as a starter. But I think as a bench guy, it just gives that instant change of energy that I think fits very well with that unit.”
Martin was especially important to the Heat’s fourth-quarter comeback in Game 4, playing all but five seconds in the final period as Miami rallied from a 12-point deficit with 6:09 to play to earn a five-point win. He recorded 10 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal in the fourth quarter.
Probably Martin’s biggest play of the night came when he sprinted from the other side of the court to beat Bucks center Brook Lopez to a loose ball, coming away with an important offensive rebound with 3:43 left in the game. After passing the ball to Butler, Martin got it back a few seconds later on the same possession and drilled a contested jumper from just inside the three-point line with 7-footer Giannis Antetokounmpo right in his face to cut the deficit to one point with 3:29 to play.
“Any way I can contribute,” Martin, 27, said. “Most of the time, I know it’s going to be on the defensive end. So to be able to come in and knock down timely shots when I needed to was big. I just felt comfortable in those moments.”
And Martin, who was re-signed by the Heat to a fully guaranteed three-year deal worth $20.4 million as a restricted free agent last summer, has been involved in plenty of those late-game moments. He played in a team-high 44 of the 48 possible fourth-quarter minutes through the first four games of the series.
“Honestly, he can start or come off the bench, whatever it is,” Love said of Martin. “He’s been incredible since I’ve been here. He does whatever the team needs for us to win. He’s getting out in transition, he’s guarding the team’s best player, he’s picking them up 94 feet, he’s hitting threes like he did tonight, he’s getting extra buckets, he’s getting rebounds.”
Martin opened the season as an undersized power forward in the Heat’s starting lineup. He’s closing the season as the Heat’s most reliable reserve.
“Caleb, you can’t say enough about him,” Spoelstra said. “This season, he’s been willing to sacrifice and do whatever we felt is best for the team. I don’t even know if he felt that it’s best for the team. But you need guys that are willing to sacrifice, willing to dominate and be a star in their role. But he’s also just a supreme competitor.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat remains without guards Tyler Herro (broken right hand) and Victor Oladipo (torn patellar tendon) for Game 5 on Wednesday. Heat starting center Bam Adebayo is listed as probable with a strained left hamstring.
The Bucks listed Antetokounmpo as probable with a lower back contusion. He returned to play in Game 4 after missing Games 2 and 3 with the back injury that he sustained in the series opener.
Bucks guard Wesley Matthews is not on the injury report after missing Games 2, 3 and 4 of the series with a strained right calf. Matthews is expected to be available for Wednesday’s contest.
