Two Wolfpacks, J. Cole and a dream: Caleb Martin’s improbable journey to the NBA finals

Who knows where the Miami Heat would’ve been if not for NC State basketball alum Caleb Martin, who became a key player for the Heat during the 2022-23 season and had a critical impact on the team’s run to the NBA finals. However, just a few years ago, this run might have seemed impossible.

Prior to joining the Heat, Martin was a four-star recruit in the class of 2014 and committed to playing at NC State along with his twin brother. Martin started one game his freshman year at NC State but was a key part of the rotation, making an appearance in 36 games.

It was his second year when Martin made a bigger impact for the Pack, starting 19 games and averaging 11.5 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds per game. Although things were looking up for Martin at NC State, the emerging star felt he could do more at the collegiate level and decided to transfer to the University of Nevada along with his brother.

It turned out to be a great decision for Martin — he exploded onto the scene for the Nevada Wolfpack, averaging 18.9 points per game his first season and was dubbed the Mountain West player of the year. He then averaged 19.2 points per game the next season.

After two phenomenal seasons at Nevada, Martin was seemingly in position to be selected in the NBA draft but didn’t hear his name called. Instead, Martin saw his brother get selected in the second round by the Charlotte Hornets. But he persevered, continuing his basketball journey alongside his brother after he signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Hornets.

Martin spent most of his first season with the Hornets G-league team, averaging 21.3 points per game and 6 rebounds per game. The Hornets clearly liked what they saw from him — Martin played in 53 games in his second season with Charlotte, but wasn’t able to show his  full potential with the 15.4 minutes per game he averaged. 

Subsequently, the Hornets felt like Martin wasn’t a key part of their team and waived him after his second season. Martin revealed in an interview with The Stadium that after he was waived, he didn't receive calls from any other teams and didn’t get another opportunity to play professionally until rapper J. Cole set him up with a workout with the Miami Heat, giving Martin one last chance to prove himself as an NBA-level talent.

Twins Caleb and Cody Martin sitdown with @Stadium: “I tell them I’m already in Miami, but I’m in Raleigh.” On J. Cole and the white lie about location and booster status for Caleb to receive Heat opportunity, bittersweet 2019 Draft night, Hornets tenure together and split, more. pic.twitter.com/TfYKd4Szof

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 12, 2023

He ended up impressing the Heat enough for them to offer him a non-guaranteed contract, meaning he would still have to prove himself for Miami to keep him. He ended up doing just that by becoming a key player off the bench and earned a guaranteed contract for the rest of the 2021-22 season. 

Although Martin didn’t have eye-popping numbers on the stat sheet, he provided the Heat with defensive intensity and competitiveness that fit their culture. After his first season in Miami, he signed a 3-year contract worth $20.5 million — the Heat saw something in Martin that no one else did, and this was just the beginning.

During the 2022-23 regular season, Martin’s role massively increased as he started in 49 of the 71 games he played, but that regular season isn’t why he’s made a name for himself in the NBA.

The Heat came into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, virtually guaranteed to lose in the first round. Well, if you didn’t catch it already, the Heat made the NBA Finals and Martin was a big reason why the team made it that far. Martin mostly came off the bench through the first two rounds but upped his scoring numbers from the regular season and recorded seven double-digit games.

But Martin’s performance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the heavily favored Boston Celtics really put him on the map. Martin was arguably the Heat’s best player in the series, scoring over 20 points in three games, including 26 points in Game 7 at TD Garden in Boston. He was one vote shy of winning the Eastern Conference MVP and many fans believed he should have won it.

Butler received five of the nine votes from a media panel covering the Eastern Conference Finals. The voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/78bBxho5Yh

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 30, 2023

It goes without saying that Caleb Martin has had to prove himself every step of the way in his career and has become an inspirational story, showing that hard work pays off when given the opportunity.