Heat Player Named One of NBA’s ‘Best Kept Secrets’

Getty Musician J. Cole greets Omer Yurtseven #77 of the Miami Heat prior to their game against the New York Knicks

The Miami Heat’s roster remains in flux currently. Much of the team’s roster remains to wait on the potential of the franchise dealing for either Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets or Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Both trade discussions seem to be stalled as they currently sit. Bam Adebayo is essentially the player that the deal hinges on. Bam has been the player that Miami refuses to include in its Durant discussions, and Bam is the player that would have to be dealt to acquire Mitchell from the Jazz due to both players being on max rookie extensions. So with that, the trade possibilities for each remain in question. 

Tyler Herro recently spoke out about the uncertainty on the Heat roster and particularly with how it relates to him being involved in the trade rumors. 

“I mean, every summer, that’s just what it is,” Herro said Tuesday as his foundation, the T. Herro Foundation, teamed up with the Heat to award nine Heat Academy students each with a $500 gift card to use on a back-to-school shopping spree at Target located at Dadeland Station in Miami. “I mean ever since I’ve been here, my name has been in rumors. So rumors, they don’t bother me. Whether I’m on the Heat or somewhere else, I’m getting ready for the season.”

Herro states that he will be ready for the season. On August 18, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report shared a player for the Heat that could be one of the league’s ‘Best Kept Secrets.’

Omer Yurtseven Miami’s ‘Best Kept Secret’

To some outside of Miami, they may be surprised to see Omer Yurtseven on Buckley’s list of ‘Best Kept Secrets,’ but Heat fans won’t be. Heat fans know the potential of the 6-foot-11 big man out of Georgetown brings to their roster. The rookie showed flashes in his first year with the Heat and averaged 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The big man got his first consistent minutes in the NBA in the month of January, filling in for the Heat’s injury-plagued roster. In January, Yurtseven averaged 10.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while averaging over 22 minutes per game in that stretch. 

“His offensive skills are sharp, and he could further sharpen them by harnessing an intriguing-but-not-there-yet jumper. His defense needs a lot of work and may always be held back by his athletic limitations, but he gives Miami’s great developmental staff plenty to work with,” Buckley writes. 

Caleb Martin Possible Breakout Season

In addition to Yurtseven, the newly re-signed Caleb Martin is a player that could have a breakout year for the Heat in the 2022-23 season. Martin has had his name mentioned as the possible replacement for PJ Tucker, who left the team in free agency this offseason. 

In a recent article for The Ringer, Dan Devine had Martin on his list of current ‘under the radar’ players in the NBA. 

“That could mean a promotion for Caleb Martin, the 26-year-old who parlayed a two-way contract into a three-year, $20.4 million deal after earning his way into Spo’s rotation by grinding it out on both ends of the court, and who just might be Miami’s best bet at replicating Tucker’s work,” Devine wrote.