Miami Heat's Caleb Martin Only Interested In Playing `Important Minutes'

Martin says being a starter is mostly for show

While most NBA players are concerned with starting , Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin is different. 

Even though Martin started in both games he played this preseason, it isn't that big of a deal. He enters as the starting power forward the season-opener Oct. 19 against the Chicago Bulls at FTX Arena. 

“Starting itself isn’t, you know, isn’t the end off for me,” Martin said after Wednesday's preseason victory against the New Orleans Pelicans . “Like you said, it’s playing minutes, playing important minutes, being in at important times and having a productive role is more important to me than just to say ‘I started’. You can start and be out in five minutes and not go back in. So, sometimes it’s more for show. I rather be in when it matters, so whenever that is.”

Martin couldn't care less about a starting role. Three years ago, he was an undrafted rookie trying to find an NBA home. Now, he's starting for one of the top contending teams in the Eastern Conference. 

“When I first came in, I was just trying to get a locker," Martin said. "That’s all I was trying to do, man, that’s all I was focused on.”

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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson