Caleb Martin

Heat Notes: Martin, Rozier, Herro, Adebayo, Robinson, Mills

Heat forward Caleb Martin understands that his high-energy approach to the game can be most effective in a sixth-man role, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. After a breakout performance in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, Martin has returned to a reserve spot this year, coming off the bench in 19 of the 52 games he has played. Amid numerous lineup changes due to injuries, coach Erik Spoelstra has tried to keep Martin’s role constant.

“I really don’t care. I really don’t,” Martin said. “Like I said, the biggest thing for me is getting minutes and finishing games. So it ultimately doesn’t matter if you come off the bench. If I’m playing 25, 30 minutes and I’m finishing games, I’m going to be able to produce.”

With a $7.1MM player option for next season, Martin is likely to test free agency this summer, Winderman adds. He’s also dealing with the distraction of a sprained left thumb that will probably need surgery after the season is over. He keeps it taped during games and wears a leather brace when he’s not playing.

“It’s something minor. It’s nothing crazy or I wouldn’t be able to still be playing on it,” Martin said. “So it would be different if it was a different kind of injury. So it’s one of those things that’s a pretty quick fix.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Spoelstra will likely stagger the minutes between Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro whenever Herro returns from his right foot injury, Winderman states in a separate story. They have similar skills as shot creators, and Winderman notes that it could be valuable to have them on the court together late in close games.
  • Bam Adebayo is looking forward to returning after sitting out Wednesday’s game with a lower back contusion, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adebayo is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest with New Orleans, and he expressed hope that he’ll be ready to play. “I sat down and had a conversation with coach,” Adebayo said. “We got guys back, so he told me it was time to take (a night off).”
  • A scan of Duncan Robinson‘s back didn’t reveal any significant issues, league sources tell Chiang. Robinson was diagnosed with left facet syndrome after returning home early from the road trip to see a back specialist, but he’s not believed to be facing a lengthy absence.
  • Patty Mills has made a smooth transition since signing with Miami on March 6, Chiang observes in another piece. Injuries have opened up a rotation role, and the veteran guard has logged double-digit minutes in seven straight games. “The surprising part is how comfortable and quickly that I’ve been able to pick up on some stuff,” Mills said. “Then after that, what can you do to impact the team in a positive way. I think that’s been probably the most surprising part, if anything.”

Heat Notes: Mills, Herro, Love, Schedule, Martin

Patty Mills‘ debut with the Heat on Friday night looked familiar to coach Erik Spoelstra, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Mills provided the jolt of instant offense that Miami was looking for, coming off the bench to score 13 points in 16 minutes while shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. It was similar to the performances he used to deliver for the Spurs when they faced Miami in the 2013 and 2014 NBA Finals.

“That was great to see him finally do it in a Heat uniform instead of against us,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve seen that for too many years. You can see why he’s been able to do what he does. He’s ignitable, he’s smart, he’s been in a lot of very good systems so he knows how to fit even though he hasn’t had a practice.”

Mills matched his highest-scoring game of the season, as he was seeing limited playing time with Atlanta before being waived last week. There’s no guarantee that Mills will get regular minutes with the Heat once the roster is healthier, but his new teammates are aware of how he can help them.

“We all know what he can do,” Jimmy Butler said. “We all know what he’s going to bring to this team. I think that he’s a winner. He knows how to play the game of basketball. He has a very, very, very high IQ and he just wants to help in any way that he can.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Tyler Herro and Kevin Love have already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against Washington, Chiang adds. Herro will sit out his eighth straight game with medial tendinitis in his right foot, while Love will miss his sixth in a row due to a bruised right heel. Chiang notes that Spoelstra has typically alternated between Orlando Robinson and Thomas Bryant at backup center when Love is unavailable, but neither of them played Friday in Oklahoma City as those minutes went to Nikola Jovic.
  • Heat players are cautioning against a letdown as they enter a soft spot in the schedule, Chiang states in a separate story. Locked in a tight race to avoid the play-in tournament, Miami will face 10-win teams in three of its next four games, hosting the Wizards tomorrow and traveling to Detroit for games on March 15 and 17. “Like every other game, with a sense of urgency,” Bam Adebayo responded when asked about the team’s approach. “So for us, it’s just having that same sense of urgency as if we were playing anybody else.”
  • Caleb Martin will likely need surgery this summer for a sprained thumb on his non-shooting hand, but he tells Chiang that he’ll continue to play through the pain for the rest of the season.

Heat Notes: D. Robinson, Martin, Mills, Jovic

While Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson says he’s fine with either role, he has been far more effective starting in 2023/24 compared to coming off the bench, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

The competitive aspect, you always want to be out there,” he said. “But… you got to have a full 100 percent buy in of what we’re trying to achieve.”

The numbers are pretty eye-opening: in Robinson’s 24 starts, Miami is 18-6 and +149 in his 782 minutes on the court. He has averaged 16.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 4.0 APG on .487/.456/.841 shooting in those 24 appearances (32.6 MPG).

Conversely, in the 32 games with Robinson coming off the bench, the Heat are 15-17 and -53 in his 799 minutes (they’re 2-3 in games he’s missed). As a reserve, he has averaged 11.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 3.2 APG on .424/.362/.946 shooting in 25.0 MPG.

As Jackson writes, Robinson is very unlikely to remain a starter once Tyler Herro – who will miss his sixth consecutive game Thursday with a right foot injury – returns from injury. Robinson says he’s still improving and trying to make it difficult for the coaching staff to keep him in the game whether he’s starting or not.

It’s always an ambition of mine to have the biggest role for myself possible,” Robinson said. “I don’t put any limitations on what I can achieve.

I’m 29 years old. I still feel like I’m improving and still feel like there’s more to tap into from a basketball perspective and the impact I can have. I don’t know what that’s going to look like as far as the actual role. Let those decisions fall in the hands of the coaching staff, and deal with it the best way I can, which is showing up working and handling my business.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • Fourth-year forward Caleb Martin is dealing with a “loose tooth or two, six stitches in his mouth, a sore thumb and a balky ankle,” but he has been playing his best basketball of the season of late, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). “I think I’m just letting go,” Martin said of his improved three-point shot. “I think mentally I’m just playing more free and stop overthinking. I’m not overthinking stuff as much. I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym with the coaches. I know I’m a good shooter. So I’m not going to miss when I’m just letting it go.” Martin is averaging 14.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG while shooting 15-of-23 (60.9%) from deep over the past five games.
  • New free agent addition Patty Mills says he sees similarities between the Spurs and Heat organizations and he hopes that will make the first time he’s switched teams midseason a bit smoother, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Although it’s only been 24 hours, the impression of what the culture is here hits very hard,” Mills said. “It doesn’t take long for you to understand, to see it and to appreciate it. And within those 24 hours, there’s definitely [things] I’m used to and what I’m also about. That will be set up here for a smooth transition, hopefully.” Mills, who played 10 seasons with San Antonio, will be active Thursday, though it’s unclear if he’ll play.
  • Mills also said he was “fully committed” to playing for the Australian national team in the Olympics this summer in Paris, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The news isn’t surprising — it will be the 35-year-old guard’s fifth Olympic appearance with the Boomers, who won the bronze medal at the last Olympics in Tokyo.
  • Second-year forward Nikola Jovic says he would like to play for either Partizan or Crvena Zvezda — two EuroLeague teams in his native Serbia — in the future, he told Srdjan Todorovic of Telegraf. “… I love both teams, I follow them a lot, ” Jovic said, per BasketNews. “At some point, I would like to come back to play for one of our two big teams, especially because I played in Mega against both of them, and I would like to feel everything that happens there.”

Heat Notes: Herro, Jovic, Love, Rozier, Martin

Heat guard Tyler Herro continues to be bothered by discomfort in his right foot that began during the All-Star break, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro missed his fourth straight game today — bringing him to 24 for the season — with a condition that team doctors are calling medial tendinitis.

Asked before the game if he’s being cautious with Herro, coach Erik Spoelstra said he doesn’t have that luxury with starters Kevin Love and Josh Richardson also sidelined by injuries. Love missed his second consecutive game with a bruised right heel and Richardson sat out his seventh straight with a dislocated right shoulder.

“It’s managing where he is right now,” Spoelstra said of Herro. “Once he feels right and he passes the protocols, he’ll play. We’re not saving anybody for the playoffs. We have a lot of work to do to make sure we get in.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Nikola Jovic continues to be a fixture in Spoelstra’s starting lineup, Chiang adds. The second-year big man was out of the rotation early in the season, but Saturday marked his sixth start in the team’s last seven games. The only one he missed was because of a league suspension for being involved in a fracas with New Orleans last week.
  • Love sees himself as a natural mentor for Herro because he went through the same experience of playing with two stars in Cleveland and constantly hearing his name in trade speculation, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “I’ve been in trade rumors every offseason,” Love said. “I’ve been him. I was the third guy. I played in the paint and in the interior my whole career and I was asked when I got to Cleveland to play on the perimeter. I was asked to do a lot of things that maybe I was uncomfortable with or wasn’t used to. … I’ve been in his position many times before and he has handled it very well. His maturity has really impressed me.”
  • Terry Rozier‘s three-point shooting since coming to Miami is a cause for concern, Chiang states in a mailbag column. Coming into today’s game, he was 23.7% from long-distance since the trade with Charlotte, including 25% on catch-and-shoot threes and 22.2% on pull-up threes. Chiang expects Rozier to eventually move closer to his career average of 36.4%.
  • Caleb Martin received six stitches in his lip after being hit in the face in the fourth quarter of today’s game, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Martin, Spoelstra, Robinson, Big Three

Saddled with a seven-game losing streak, the Heat are feeling ornery, according to The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. A lot of strong words by players and coaches were passed along during a film session on Tuesday. The team is back in action against Sacramento on Wednesday.

“Things were said that needed to be said,” forward Caleb Martin said. “I really do think we’re on the same page.”

Coach Erik Spoelstra said the team’s approach is more important than X’s and O’s at this juncture.

“Toughness — mental, physical, emotional competitive toughness,” he said. “The schematics are second, third, fourth, fifth [behind that]… That’s what we worked on today, finding solutions that are really none of your business, and I say that respectfully.”

We have more on the Heat:

  • Duncan Robinson has entered the league’s concussion protocol, Jackson reports in the same story. Robinson played only four minutes on Monday against Phoenix. He sat out the second half after he revealed he wasn’t feeling well. Robinson took a hard fall and his head snapped back as he hit the court on Saturday against the Knicks.
  • Miami is 5-11 when Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are all available this season after finishing 26-25 in those games last season, Jackson points out in a separate story. The Herald columnist cites a number of reasons why the team’s Big Three hasn’t meshed well this season.
  • On that same topic, Herro said the team is still trying to find the reasons for the recent slide, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald“We’re still figuring it out,” Herro said. “During a seven-game losing streak, it’s not really easy to pinpoint what we’re going to do going into each night when we’re losing. But we’re just trying to win and figure out what works and what doesn’t.”
  • One thing is for certain during the franchise’s longest losing streak. There’s a determination to get things turned around quickly, William Guillory of the Miami Herald writes. “Obviously, if you’re in this kind of hole, the level of urgency, concern is extremely high,” Spoelstra said.

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Rozier, Rotation, Jaquez

The Heat are fully healthy for the first time all season, but their long losing streak continues, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Apart from guard Dru Smith, who underwent season-ending knee surgery in December, Miami had a complete roster available for this afternoon’s game in New York. So it was discouraging that the Heat weren’t able to remain competitive against a potential playoff rival, falling 125-109 for their first six-game losing skid in nearly three years.

“Look, right now we’re going to rally around each other, rally around our identity,” coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “It’s a tough time right now.”

Miami is 0-3 since acquiring Terry Rozier from Charlotte on Tuesday in a move to add another weapon to the offense. Rozier is struggling badly with his shot since the trade, connecting at just 30.3% from the field and 18.2% from long distance.

“He’ll figure it out,” Spoelstra said. “He’s trying to fit in and I get that. We’re all saying the same thing. We want Terry to be Terry. He’s going to unlock other things for us.”

There’s more on the Heat:

  • Rozier started for the second straight game, alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Haywood Highsmith. Spoelstra used Kevin Love, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez and Caleb Martin off the bench in the first look at what his rotation might be with everyone available. Chiang notes that Josh Richardson picked up his first DNP-CD of the season, while center Thomas Bryant also didn’t play.
  • Jaquez returned after missing the previous six games with a strained groin, Chiang adds. He provided six points and four assists in about 24 minutes and played 7:33 in the fourth quarter until the game got out of hand. “There are definitely some things defensively that he needs to fast track on and he knows that,” Spoelstra said. “But offensively, you can definitely see some of the intangibles that he brings. He just has a knack for the play, a knack for getting us some rim pressure and we need a lot more of that.”
  • Today’s loss shows the Heat need to add size before the trade deadline to have a shot at another long playoff run, states Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. He observes that Miami was outrebounded 29-19 in the first half and frequently had to throw double teams at Julius Randle, leading to open three-point shots.

Heat Notes: Rozier, Offense, Draft Picks, Martin

After being acquired by the Heat on Tuesday, Terry Rozier will be available to make his debut with his new team on Wednesday vs. Memphis, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Heat have confirmed the news.

Heat forward Caleb Martin, who played with Rozier in Charlotte, referred to the veteran guard as a “great teammate” and a tough competitor who will “fit right in” with the Heat, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Martin, Tyler Herro, and Kevin Love all pointed out that the club will benefit from having another contributor capable of putting up 25 or 30 points on any given night.

“It is increasingly important and paramount to have a weapon and a scoring threat out there on the floor at really every position,” Love said. “But somebody who can put points up in a hurry. With teams and offenses scoring so many points and the offensive ratings continuing to go up, usage continuing to go up — I mean, we had two guys score over 60, a guy score 70 (on Monday). It just goes to show you how important that is in this league now.”

While some analysts have expressed concern about the way that Rozier’s and Herro’s skill sets overlap, Herro believes they’ll complement one another well and is looking forward to playing with pace alongside his new teammate.

“We both can play on the ball and off the ball,” Herro said, according to Jackson. “We both can catch and shoot or dribble and shoot. We also can play-make for our teammates. We’re both younger. I think we’ll play faster. Get the ball up the floor. That’s what I want to be a part of and I think the rest of us do too.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • The Heat ranked 25th in offensive rating last season and are 20th so far this season, including 28th in January. With that in mind, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald takes an in-depth look at Rozier’s offensive game and considers how having him in the mix will boost the club on that end of the floor.
  • One NBA scout who spoke to Jackson of The Miami Herald acknowledged that Rozier isn’t a great defender and that he has a tendency to occasionally force shots, but called the trade a “great move” for the Heat. “This is a no-brainer to me, from the Heat’s standpoint. He’s perfect for them,” the scout said. “… His play-making is a tad underrated. He sees people. He can penetrate. He can get in the lane and dish. He can run pick-and-roll. He’s more of a point guard than Herro. You have to guard him.”
  • In another story for The Herald, Jackson explores the Heat’s draft pick situation, pointing out that – due to the Stepien rule – the 2030 pick is the only first-rounder the team can still freely trade.
  • Although Caleb Martin has been an important part of the Heat’s rotation, the deal for Rozier means his situation is worth monitoring, notes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman explains, it will be more challenging financially for Miami to keep Martin beyond the season with Rozier’s contract on the books; plus, the Heat could potentially move below the first tax apron and become a player on the buyout market by moving off of Martin’s expiring contract at the trade deadline. Of course, Martin will have more value than just about any player who will be available in the buyout market, so Miami is unlikely to move him purely for financial reasons.

Heat Exploring Kyle Lowry Trades

Accomplished veteran Kyle Lowry is a natural trade candidate for the Heat due to his declining production and $29.7MM expiring contract. While he has been involved in countless rumors over the years, including the past year-plus with Miami, Lowry’s name hasn’t popped up in many reports during the 2023/24 season to this point.

However, Miami “continues” to discuss the 37-year-old point guard in potential trades, sources tell Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. That implies the Heat either restarted or perhaps never stopped exploring Lowry deals.

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) goes a step further, suggesting that Lowry’s time in Miami “appears to be” nearing its end. Winderman says a resolution to Lowry’s situation is “not only expected” by next month’s trade deadline, it could occur as early as this week.

Lowry started his first 35 games this season, but he was moved to the bench for Friday’s loss vs. Atlanta and that continued for Sunday’s defeat to Orlando. Miami has dropped three straight games and is currently the No. 6 seed in the East with a 24-19 record.

According to Winderman, Lowry was granted permission to travel away from the team after Wednesday’s loss to the Raptors in Toronto. Lowry played nine seasons with the Raptors, making six All-Star teams and helping Toronto win its first title in 2019. But he got caught in bad weather and was late returning to Miami on Friday, leaving his status against the Hawks uncertain — and opening the door for a lineup change. Head coach Erik Spoelstra started Caleb Martin in Lowry’s place.

We are not where we want to be,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “That’s not an indictment on one player. Kyle has been great as a starter and really impactful last year off the bench. So this really isn’t about him. This is about us trying to get to a higher level on both ends of the court, but also offensively. Combinations do matter, rotations do matter, lineups that bring out the best in each other do matter. And I’m still in the process of trying to help the team figure that out.”

Lowry’s overall numbers are solid, if unspectacular. He has averaged 8.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.1 SPG on .426/.385/.833 shooting in 28.0 MPG through 37 games, but his usage rate is a career low 13.3% and his counting stats have all dropped considerably, Chiang notes. Lowry is 0-for-17 from three-point range over the past five games, averaging just 2.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 3.6 APG in 25.7 MPG over that span.

For his part, Lowry didn’t exactly sound thrilled with the demotion, but said he was trying to make the best of it.

For me as a professional, of course I’m disappointed to have to adjust,” Lowry said after going 1-for-9 in 25 minutes off the bench on Sunday. “But I haven’t played well in the last couple weeks and I understand that coach has made a decision to try to move and shake some things and get in a different flow. So as a professional, of course it’s an adjustment. But I have to make it and figure out how to help the team win.”

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald observes (via Twitter), the big question is whether the Heat will be willing to take on a multiyear contract in exchange for Lowry’s expiring deal. Doing so would likely put them deep into luxury tax territory in the coming years, which would hurt their roster flexibility due to restrictions from the second tax apron. Still, the Heat could make future trades to shed salary in that scenario, Jackson notes.

Heat Notes: Big Three, Lowry, Murray, Trade Options

The Heat have done a remarkable job of weathering injuries, but they’re only 31-31 over the past two years with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro all on the court together, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That includes a home loss Friday night to the struggling Hawks, who were missing Trae Young, bringing Miami’s record to 5-6 this season with all three stars available.

“You get used to one guy being out there, or two, and we have all three of us,” Adebayo said. “We’re all trying to play the right way, but also be aggressive. There are going to be some rough patches and we just need to keep working through it.”

The problem, according to Jackson, is the lack of a reliable fourth option to supplement the Big Three, which has caused the offense to sputter. Rookie Jaime Jaquez had been filling that role, but a groin injury will force him to miss his fourth consecutive game on Sunday.

“Teams are doubling Bam and Jimmy every time they touch it in the post,” Herro said. “To be able to watch the film, make adjustments to our spacing, I think we’ll be fine. [We’re] just getting comfortable with everyone back in the rotation.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry, who was used as a reserve on Friday for the first time this season, is hoping to regain his starting spot, Jackson adds. Coach Erik Spoelstra explained that the move was made for tactical reasons. “With Jaime out, there are some moving parts with this,” Spoelstra said. “I’m not going to be just experimenting in the second half. This is about winning right now. Having Kyle anchor that second unit while Jaime is out is important.”
  • Hawks guard Dejounte Murray refused to comment on the possibility of being traded to Miami before next month’s deadline, Jackson states in a separate story. Before Friday’s game, Murray posted a photo to Instagram of him pointing to the Heat’s retired jerseys in the Kaseya Center rafters, but he told reporters it’s “respect for legends that have played this game the right way before,” rather than an indication that he wants to join the Heat.
  • Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel cautions that it’s dangerous to make a trade in reaction to recent acquisitions by the Knicks and Pacers. Winderman suggests that Lowry’s expiring $29.7MM contract only has value if the Heat are willing to take back long-term salary in return, but Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic might be in play if management doesn’t view them as part of the team’s future.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Spoelstra, Jovic, Wade

Jaime Jaquez didn’t travel with the Heat for their two-game road trip after suffering a left groin strain Sunday night, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The rookie forward is the only player on the roster who hasn’t missed time this season, but that will change after he was injured on a dunk attempt in the first quarter.

“When I went up for the dunk in transition, I just didn’t feel that well when I took off,” Jaquez said. “It totally started to get worse throughout the duration of the game.”

Jaquez tried to play through the pain, but after talking to assistant coach Caron Butler, he decided to sit out the rest of the game as Haywood Highsmith took his place in Miami’s starting lineup for the second half. Jaquez also suffered a groin strain that forced him to miss two weeks during the preseason, but he doesn’t believe this one is as severe.

“I would say I don’t think it’s as bad,” Jaquez said. “I think especially since we’re on it very early, I’m going to make a very quick and smooth recovery. A lot of prevention is what we’re looking at right now.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Coach Erik Spoelstra sees a bright side to the continuing injury issues, saying they have brought a unique focus to the team, Winderman adds in a separate story. As an example, he points to forward Caleb Martin, who returned Friday after his second extended absence of the season. “Guys like Caleb, he wants to gobble up any minute of this type of environment that he can right now,” Spoelstra said. “And the underlying benefit of all this, without anybody having to talk about it, nobody’s taking any of this for granted. When you’re out and you want to play, you’re incredibly grateful to do what we get to do and compete at a high level.”
  • Nikola Jovic is learning how he can help the team during his greatest stretch of playing time since entering the NBA, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Injuries have provided a rare opportunity for the second-year forward, who was hurt for most of his rookie year and was barely used in the first 30 games of this season. “Defensively, I still need a lot of work. I feel like I’ve improved a lot because I’m working on it,” Jovic said. “But I still feel like I’m not there. As someone who is 6-foot-10, I think I can do a lot more. Those things are going to keep me on the court and those are the things that (Spoelstra) talks about and those are things that are important.”
  • Team president Pat Riley announced on Sunday that the Heat will build a statue of Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade outside their arena, writes David Wilson of The Miami Herald.