The Miami Heat have long been known for their Culture. Though everybody won’t admit it, from rival fans, players, and just rivals, in general and specifically, but it’s something that’s weaved into everything they do.
From the simple notion of being in the best shape of your life to the grander purpose of doing everything with maximum effort and always being willing to give that same max effort to your team and fellow teammates, they, along with many other things, are apart of the totality of that thing that goes into making the Miami Heat Culture what it is.
When guys are of that type of ilk though, called Miami Heat guys traditionally and such as Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Dewayne Dedmon, Kelly Olynyk, or Josh Richardson in example, they can see that from the outside looking in.
By the way and exemplified in the previous statement, they come in different shapes, sizes, and don’t all have to be built the same way, body-type wise or skill set wise and while they all just have to be made of the right kind of stuff, if that makes sense.
But towards the notion of seeing it from the outside looking in, if you’re that kind of guy of course, the Heat’s latest addition has that thing to him. So, it makes complete sense that he could see what the Miami Heat are all about from afar.
Miami Heat: Caleb Martin Saying, Seeing, And Embracing All The Right Things
That latest addition is Caleb Martin. The twin brother of his former teammate with the Charlotte Hornets and throughout their college ball years, Cody Martin, Caleb went undrafted while his brother went at the top of the second round.
Caleb was then grabbed by Charlotte after the draft too, where he has played for the last two seasons. Now in Miami, here is what he recently told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
"“The culture and the reputation were the big things that caught my eye,” Martin said to the Miami Herald of what intrigued him about the Heat. “Obviously, the coaching staff and just everybody that’s involved over here. One of the things they said was they’re big on development."
Martin has obviously done his homework and knows what the Heat are about. He would also say that “you hear a lot of great things about the organization in Miami,” and that “it’s clear that they bring in winning players and a winning culture”, which he says all helped to influence his decision to come to Miami.
Again, that’s a huge part of why he chose them. However, what did they see in him?
Miami Heat: Caleb Martin Has Work To Do On His Game, But Does Offer Promise
In Martin, the Miami Heat have their next 3 & D prosepect to mold. He has good two-way potential and though he needs to work on his shooting, he can do a lot on offense and guard multiple positions on the defensive side of things.
He’ll be a guy that you can throw out and have him guard the opposing best wings, certainly. He’s scrappy and he’s tough too though.
He doesn’t mind doing the dirty work and actually played against a ton of bigger guys in college, so going up to the four on the defensive side might not be that big of an issue in certain situations for him. He’ll mainly be there to try and shut down opposing wings though.
Again, if he can find his range from the outside, the Miami Heat have a guy that could stick around for a little while. That’s because he could provide immense value as a defender, not hurt you on the other side of the ball, and all at a pretty affordable rate… if it all plays out like it could.
If anyone can get the best out of a guy like Martin though, it’s the Miami Heat. The thing about it all is that the knows that too.
Take the following for example. It’s a bit he had to say later in the Chiang piece.
"“It’s evident that they try to find gems and they try to find pieces,” Martin said. “They’re just not bringing guys just to bring guys because that’s what they’re supposed to do or anything like that or they have spots to fill. They bring guys that they believe can contribute or that they believe they can mold into culture guys that they want to keep around. Even though I’m a two-way, my goal is to come in and make an impact right away with my experience and my skill set and my athleticism and just be active."
He knows what is before him and that’s a ton of work. If he does that, he should have no problem accomplishing his “ultimate goal”.
He let that be known as well, stating that his “ultimate goal is to become a full-time roster guy”, But that he’s “just looking to take advantage of the opportunity and learn a lot from a lot of great vets” that the Miami Heat have.
Martin is saying all the right things. He appears to be embracing all the right things too. If he can keep that up, he might just do all the things he thinks he will.