Caleb Martin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Adebayo, Martin, Redick, Hornets, Magic, Suggs

April 24th, 2024 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

While Bam Adebayo is probably a long shot to be named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for this season, the Heat big man is one of the finalists for the first time in his career, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Prior to this spring, Adebayo had never finished higher than fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

“They’re actually watching games, they’re actually looking at games,” Adebayo said of the award voters. “They’re paying attention to what I do. It’s not only what shows up in the stat book.”

As Chiang writes, Adebayo blocked just 0.9 shots per game in 2023/24, well below the averages posted by fellow finalists Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama. However, he’s capable of guarding positions all over the court and has adapted his game to new personnel and new coverages with players in and out of Miami’s lineup all season long due to injuries.

“Man, I can play in any coverage,” Adebayo said. “That’s pretty much the dynamic that I have. I can play any coverage. If you want to be in drop, we can play drop. If you want me in zone, we can play zone. Blitz, switching, being able to be on the one or two option, being able to be the help guy. I’ve been in many different roles throughout my career.”

“What it shows you is that he’s becoming a defensive technician,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said of his defensive anchor. “That’s a different level of expertise.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel relays, Spoelstra and the Heat downplayed the outside reactions that Caleb Martin‘s hard foul on Jayson Tatum in Game 1 of their series elicited, particularly from Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine, who called it a “dirty play” that warranted a suspension. “It was an irrational assessment in our view in what actually happened,” Spoelstra said. “The players are fine. All the outside noise or anything like that is not going to decide this series or the game. This is good, clean, tough, physical playoff basketball — and it always has been with Boston and us.”
ESPN analyst and former NBA sharpshooter J.J. Redick is a “serious candidate” for the Hornets‘ head coaching job, Shams Charania of The Athletic said on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link). According to Charania, Redick has a “strong desire” to move into coaching and could end up interviewing for more jobs besides Charlotte’s this spring.
While the Magic‘s long-term outlook remains very promising, the weaknesses of their young roster have been exposed in the first two playoff games against Cleveland, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who cites inexperience and a lack of shooting and play-making as shortcomings for Orlando. “Our defense is what we thought it was, but it ain’t going to win us a game,” Paolo Banchero said. “We’ve got to be better on the other end.”
Magic guard Jalen Suggs is “doing better” after suffering a left knee injury in Game 2, per head coach Jamahl Mosley, who told reporters today that he expects Suggs to be available for Game 3 (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel).

Heat Notes: Play-In, Rotation, Jaquez, Butler, Martin

April 1st, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat are facing a “make-or-break” week if they want to avoid the play-in tournament, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. As Chiang writes, the Heat have gone just 17-24 this season against teams with winning records, and they face four such opponents this week: New York, Philadelphia, Houston and Indiana.

“It will be the best to simulate how the playoffs are going to be,” guard Terry Rozier said. “This is a great four-game stretch, but we got to take it one game at a time. The Knicks we play next, we got to worry about that one and get that one at home and protect home court.”

How Miami fares this week will have a direct impact on competitive playoff races in both conferences, Chiang observes. The No. 7 Heat are currently sandwiched between the No. 6 Pacers and No. 8 Sixers in the East’s standings. If the Heat win those two games, they’ll also clinch the head-to-head tiebreakers over both clubs, but Indiana would hold the tiebreaker if it beats Miami on Sunday (if Philadelphia defeats Miami, the tiebreaker would likely be determined by conference record, Chiang notes).

Here are a few more notes out of Miami:

With Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love back from injuries, head coach Erik Spoelstra said the Heat’s rotation will likely be fluid as the postseason nears, Chiang adds in another story for The Miami Herald. “Here’s what the rotation is: whatever it takes,” Spoelstra said. “That’s where we are. We made this bed, where we are right now. Because of all the moving parts, everybody right now, it’s easy. You just be ready for your minutes, contribute in a positive way and help impact winning. That’s all it’s about right now. Everybody has signed up for that, everybody is bought into that.”
The “biggest challenge” of Jaime Jaquez‘s rookie campaign has been the NBA’s 82-game schedule, he told Chiang. While he’s having a very strong season overall, Jaquez’s production has dipped over the past few months, in part because he has been double-teamed at times when he catches the ball in the mid-post, according to Chiang. “I take it as a sign of respect,” said Jaquez, who was taken by the Heat with the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft following a four-year college career at UCLA. “Guys got to worry about me now. That’s what you want as a player. Now my next step is how do I adjust to the new coverages that I see and how I can make the right play.”
The Heat will need a more aggressive version of Jimmy Butler in order to have a shot at another deep playoff run, says Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Over his past four games, Buter is averaging just 8.3 shot attempts and 14.3 points per game, far below his season averages of 13.4 and 21.0, respectively. Still, each of those four games was lopsided, and Butler missed a game last week with an illness, Winderman notes.
In a mailbag column, Winderman wonders if Caleb Martin will be given the team’s most challenging defensive assignments in the postseason. Winderman also takes stock of which players might be pushed out of the rotation as the team gets healthier, with Patty Mills and Delon Wright likely to be on the outside looking in.

Injury Notes: Heat, C. Johnson, J. Brown, Warriors

March 31st, 2024 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

While Tyler Herro (foot) remains sidelined for Sunday’s game vs. Washington and Caleb Martin (ankle) will also be unavailable, the Heat are getting a little healthier overall.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, Kevin Love was available on Friday after missing 14 games due to a heel injury, but he wasn’t needed in a 60-point blowout of Portland, so head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to give him another day off.

Love will be active on Sunday and Duncan Robinson appears to be on track to return from a five-game absence due to a back ailment. According to the team (Twitter link), Robinson has been listed as probable to play vs. the Wizards.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Nets wing Cameron Johnson, who has missed three straight games due to a sprained left big toe, was upgraded to questionable for the club’s game vs. the Lakers on Sunday, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. It looks like there’s a good chance Johnson will be available for at least one end of Brooklyn’s back-to-back set on Sunday and Monday against L.A. and Indiana, respectively.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown said after Saturday’s win in New Orleans that his left hand has been bothering him as of late and that he plans to get it “looked at” when the team returns home after playing in Charlotte on Monday (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe). Brown hasn’t missed any time as a result of the injury, but this would be the time to give him a game off if it’s needed, since Boston has already clinched the top seed in the East.
The Warriors, in the thick of a race for a play-in spot, were missing Jonathan Kuminga (knee) and Klay Thompson (knee) on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter links via Kendra Andrews of ESPN). Both players are considered day-to-day and have been listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in San Antonio.

Heat Notes: Robinson, Herro, Jovic, Highsmith, Martin, Swider

March 23rd, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Heat manage to reach the playoffs, they may head into the postseason with at least one starting position unsettled, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. It’s not clear who would start at shooting guard, especially if Duncan Robinson returns from his back issues before Tyler Herro recovers from his foot injury.

Jackson notes that lineups with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Robinson have fared better than those with Butler, Adebayo and Herro, but only slightly. Both Robinson and Herro provide floor spacing, which has been missing from Miami’s offense during their absence.

“You can’t replace a guy like Duncan who shoots from anywhere, and Tyler, who creates his own shot, and the leadership of (Kevin Love),” Adebayo said.

The Heat have tried several options this season at power forward, although Jackson points out that Nikola Jovic has started the last 14 games when he’s been available. However, Haywood Highsmith has been more productive with Butler and Adebayo, and Caleb Martin has also seen significant minutes alongside the two stars. Coach Erik Spoelstra seems to be committed to using Jovic as the starter because of the overall effect he has on the offense.

“The one thing I do know is they both have great skill levels,” Spoelstra said. “And it’s almost inverted with us, when two bigs can handle. They both can pass. They both can make plays. They can both finish at the rim. And they both feel very comfortable just being facilitators.”

There’s more from Miami:

Robinson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with Cleveland, but his back is feeling much better, Jackson states in a separate story. Robinson got a positive report from a back specialist after being sent home early from a road trip on Monday. “Thankful it’s not too serious,” he said. “Big thing is making sure [to] calm it down. It’s flared up right now. I’m trying to play as soon as I possibly can. Itching to be back out there. As soon as I get the clear and OK, I’ll be back out there. Taking a couple days helps a lot. The recovery and treatment has helped as well as other things.”
Friday’s game with the Pelicans was much calmer than the teams’ February meeting, which resulted in four ejections and five suspensions, Jackson adds. Spoelstra said before the game that he didn’t expect any bad feelings from the scuffle to carry over. “It’s all behind us,” he said. “This was nothing compared to the ’90s.”
Making his 12th appearance of the season on Friday night, two-way small forward Cole Swider went 4-of-6 from three-point range and scored 14 points in 18 minutes. Earlier this week, he told Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel that he’s ready to help fill the need for outside shooting. “This is what a two-way is for, is for moments like this when Duncan’s out, Tyler’s out,” Swider said.

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

March 22nd, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

March 9th, 2024 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

March 7th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Rory Maher

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

March 2nd, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

January 30th, 2024 at 9:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

January 27th, 2024 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.