Caleb Martin is not the most highlighted player in Miami’s squad. Yet he is a player who perfectly embodies this famous “identity” of the Florida franchise. A player who plays hard, gives his all and maximizes the time he can spend on the pitch.
Minutes, he has never had as many as this season in the NBA, now with a particularity: his presence has become essential in the fourth quarter.
The worthy successor to Shawn Marion
Has Caleb Martin become a lucky charm for Erik Spoelstra? Not even. Above all, the Heat coach praised his player’s “versatility”, comparing him to a Shawn Marion, whom he also coached in 2008/09.
“He’s our version of ‘Matrix’ (Shawn Marion’s nickname)”, thus declared the Spo’ to describe Caleb Martin. “I feel lucky to have been able to coach the real “Matrix” and today this new version of “Matrix”. He is simply hyperactive and inspiring with everything he can do. And on the other side, it looks like the ball has more energy when it’s there.”
This season, he had found his place in a starting role, until the arrival of Kevin Love, who changed the situation in position 4. Not a problem for Caleb Martin, who quickly adjusted to his new status in coming off the bench, while continuing to remain an essential element in the last act.
“Caleb was probably the best player of the season”, underlined Bam Adebayo. “Caleb is probably the biggest ray of sunshine in our team. In the ups and downs, he has always been consistent. He’s one of those guys you can always count on. He will play hard and will always try to make the right choices.
For the person concerned, the only difference lies in the fact that he can observe beforehand what he will be able to do to help his team when he enters the field. For the rest, it changes absolutely nothing.
“I think that’s what I’ve done throughout my career so it’s easier to stick with it right now. It’s all part of being versatile and being able to adapt to whatever I have in my hand to perform.”
Alive in body and soul
A defender first and foremost, Caleb Martin has developed his opportunism in attack to navigate beyond the 10-point average this season, making him a player capable of impacting the course of a match on both sides of the pitch. A profile that inevitably appeals to Erik Spoelstra, who also highlighted his speed of execution.
“He can follow up quickly, on indecisive situations. He imposes his speed, his speed, his will in many areas. And defensively, he can turn that energy into making decisive moves to lead to quick play the other way. He is arguably our fastest player. When he’s at his best, you feel that speed.”
And even if Miami was already leading by 28 points at the start of the last quarter tonight against Memphis, Erik Spoelstra still let Caleb Martin play the entire last 12 minutes tonight, just to keep the news going. tradition… And to reap a new victory.
| Caleb Martin | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | CHA | 18 | 18 | 44.0 | 54.1 | 81.0 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 6.2 |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 53 | 15 | 37.5 | 24.8 | 64.1 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 5.0 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 60 | 23 | 50.7 | 41.3 | 76.3 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 9.2 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 59 | 30 | 46.6 | 37.2 | 79.8 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 10.2 |
| Total | 190 | 22 | 45.9 | 36.6 | 75.1 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 8.0 | |
