MIAMI -- Even during this, the best and most important stretch of basketball he's played in his life, Caleb Martin's thoughts regularly revert back to the workout that forever changed the trajectory of his career.
"I think about that day all the time," the Miami Heat forward said.
It was late summer 2021. With a collective eye on the upcoming season, and the need for developing a role-playing forward to help stretch the floor offensively while giving tough, physical minutes defensively, the Heat hastily put together a workout for Martin.
Although they had been eyeing the undrafted then-free agent for some time, Miami's decision-makers were spurred to finally bring Martin in, thanks to a suggestion from an unlikely source -- Grammy Award-winning rapper J.