NBA Finals shooting: How Caleb Martin underperformed vs Denver Nuggets in 2023 NBA Finals
The Miami Heat’s magical run finally ended as the Denver Nuggets beat them in five games in the NBA Finals. The Heat made quite a run behind the incredible performances of their undrafted players. Caleb Martin was one of those undrafted players who helped carry the Heat to the finals.
Martin was immense in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. He underperformed in the finals against the Nuggets, though. The Heat needed more from Martin to compete with the high-flying Nuggets offense.
Martin averaged 7.4 points per game during the finals. He shot 37.5 percent from the field in the five games. He shot 5 of 15 from the 3-point range. However, he never took more than five 3-pointers in a game and was 0-for-4 in Game 5.
Caleb Martin's shooting stats in rest of the playoffs
The finals were a severe dropoff from Martin’s previous performances in these playoffs. The undrafted player averaged 19.3 ppg in the Eastern Conference finals. He lit up the Celtics, scoring in double figures in all seven games. He dropped 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting in Game 7 on the road.
Max Strus in the ECF: 41/34%
Max Strus in the Finals: 23/18%
Gabe Vincent in the ECF: 48/51%
Gabe Vincent in the Finals: 38/33%
Caleb Martin in the ECF: 60/48%
Caleb Martin in the Finals: 37/33% https://t.co/w1X8RQFcni
He shot better than 53% from the field in six of the seven games. He was also above 40% from 3-point range in all seven games of the series. He hit four 3-pointers in three of the games.
Caleb Martin was also on fire in the earlier rounds of the playoffs. In Game 2 of the semifinals against the New York Knicks, he scored 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He hit four 3-pointers in the game.
Martin scored in double figures in four of the five games in the first round against the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks. He shot at least 50% in all five games. He went 4-for-5 in a pivotal Game 4 win for Miami.
Caleb Martin showing off the layup package 😮💨 https://t.co/nexodQjsTl
Martin’s 7.4 ppg in the finals were below his season average of 9.6 ppg. He shot 46.3% from the field this season in 29.3 minutes per game.
Caleb Martin had a season-high 24 points in November. He went 10-of-17 from the field in Miami’s 113-105 win against the Washington Wizards.