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The miracle run that the Miami Heat have been on in the 2022-2023 NBA season has been nothing short of well… miraculous. After having to win two play-in games to qualify for the playoffs, they have now earned the right to compete in the NBA Finals.
After losing one of their top scorers in Tyler Herro in the first round, players who have never had the spotlight on them were immediately put on the front stage.
Caleb Martin has been a major contributor in his stage time with the Miami Heat’s playoff run.
Caleb Martin, who was undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, signed a contract with the Charlotte Hornets and later inked a deal with the Miami Heat after the 2021 season. During the 2022-2023 season, Caleb averaged only 9.6 points on 46 percent shooting from the field while playing 29 minutes, but during the team’s playoff run and against a tough Boston Celtics team, he dialed his numbers up a notch.
On their run this postseason, he has been averaging 14.1 points on 56.6 percent shooting. To close out the series against the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics, the undrafted afterthought scored 26 points on 69 percent shooting to put them away in Game 7 on May 29.
Caleb’s game 7 performance was not too much of a surprise to many fans since he was already averaging 19 points in the series.
Miami teammate Jimmy Butler was awarded the Eastern Conference finals MVP trophy, which he won by a narrow margin over Caleb Martin, five votes to four.
With that being said, many are wondering what’s next for Martin and his 305 finalists. There are rumors that Tyler Herro will be back by Game 3 in the NBA Finals against a highly-favored Denver Nuggets team. This means his minutes will be cut, and he’ll more than likely have his role replaced.
If this is the case, he could still be a key piece to the Miami Heat, especially on the bench. This team does have a chance to win, but players like Gabe Vincent, Kyle Lowry, and especially Caleb Martin will have to continue to produce championship DNA.