Caleb Martin is the latest two-way phenom for the Miami Heat

The impressive early-season play of swingman Caleb Martin simply adds to the long list of two-way finds for the Miami Heat.

Naturally, the Heat’s offseason centered around the free-agent signings of six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry and 2021 NBA Champion PJ Tucker. However, the signing of swingman Caleb Martin to a two-way deal in mid-September has proven to be one of the more valuable additions to the current roster.

Following their disastrous first-round playoff sweep to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat knew that changes needed to be made, with a host of rotation players departing since the season’s end.

Despite being somewhat restricted due to the nature of a two-day contract, a combination of early-season injuries and (as a result) a shortened rotation has meant that Martin has seen far more court time than he or the Heat could’ve envisioned at this point in the season.

Caleb Martin is the latest two-way phenom for the Miami Heat

Thus far, Martin has appeared in 21 of the Heat’s 24 games, including the past 19 in a row. During this time, the 26-year-old has averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game.

These opportunities have increased as the season has progressed, with the versatile Martin averaging 12.3 points on 51.4 percent shooting over his last four games.

At 6’5″ and with a 6’10” wingspan, Martin’s overall athleticism and terrific sense of awareness on the defensive end of the floor have quickly seen him gain the trust of head coach Erik Spoelstra.

Thus far, Martin has already posted seven games of at least two steals, which ranks third among all reserves for multiple steals, per Stathead. In his one start for the season, in place of Jimmy Butler, Martin impressed by posting a season-high 18 points in 33 minutes as the Heat fell at home to the Denver Nuggets.

With two-way contracted players limited to 50 regular-season games, the Heat will need to decide relatively soon whether to convert his status to a regular deal, which is very possible considering the team still holds an empty roster spot for the remainder of the current season.

Just recently, Martin was quizzed by Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel on his feelings of being converted to a standard contract:

"“Obviously that standard contract is what anybody who comes in on this situation works toward. So, obviously, if that was the case, I’d be more than grateful and it would allow me to not only focus on my position here or not, because I just want to play, but it certainly would make things a lot easier. But, yeah, that would be great if that happened.”"

It wouldn’t be the first standard deal for Martin, having spent his first two seasons in the league with the Charlotte Hornets after being undrafted coming out of Nevada. Nonetheless, this two-way deal is yet another recent example of the Heat front office and their shrewd ability to nab diamonds in the rough.

In addition to Martin, fellow second unit members in Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were only just converted to standard deals this season after impressing as two-way players last season.

Furthermore, there’s also the recent roaring success story of Duncan Robinson, who, after a season as a two-way performer, signed a $90 million this past offseason.

Robinson further cemented his rapid growth in the Heat’s most recent outing, eclipsing the 600 career three-pointer mark, breaking the record held by Donovan Mitchell by a whopping 56 games.

But back to the man in focus. With his confidence on the rise and fellow swingman Victor Oladipo still sidelined for the foreseeable future, it’s hard to envision the partnership between Caleb Martin and the Miami Heat not continuing to flourish both this season and beyond.