Miami Heat's Caleb Martin Taking Aggressive Approach With Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier Sidelined

Shandel Richardson | Apr 25, 2024

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin (16) is congratulated teammate Nikola Jovic - David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Normally, Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin is the fifth or sixth scoring option.

Now, he's realizing he needs to produce more because of the Heat's injury situation. He had 21 points in Wednesday's Game 2 victory against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Martin was 7 of 12 from the field.

"Being passive for my team only hurts us, especially when guys are down," Martin said. "Having the mental stability and the confidence to play through slumps or play through bad possessions or a loss, I think it's so big, especially in the playoffs, to have a short-term memory. 

The Heat are down two of their top scorers in Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. Butler is sidelined with a sprained knee while Rozier is dealing with neck spasms. There is no timetable on when, or if, either returns during the playoffs.

The Heat have put their hopes in center Bam Adebayo and guard Tyler Herro but they need production from the supporting cast to make up for the absences of Rozier and Butler. Martin is known for having big games against the Celtics. Last year he averaged 19.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the Eastern Conference finals.

While Martin is being more aggressive, he said he wants his shots to come within the offense.

"It definitely goes both ways because you want to take good shots," Martin said. "We're all smart basketball players so we're going to take the ones that are there. You play into their game plan if you hesitate to shoot."