With the Miami Heat dealing with plenty of injuries to players at the moment, they have reportedly recalled rookie Jamal Cain for the team’s game on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.
The Heat are going to need some players to step up, as starters Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin are set to miss Tuesday’s contest. Both of them missed Miami’s most recent game against the San Antonio Spurs, which ended in an 111-101 victory for the Heat.
Since he’s on a two-way deal, Cain has been back and forth this season between the Heat and Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. With Miami, the 23-year-old has appeared in eight games, registering 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per contest.
Naturally, he’s seen more playing time with the Skyforce. In nine games with Sioux Falls, he’s averaging 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on 55.9 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Michigan native initially joined the Heat for Summer League this past offseason and also impressed the team during some preseason contests.
The undrafted wing is very athletic and plays with tons of energy on both sides of the floor, and the Heat are clearly very invested in developing him as a player. He’s got some potential, but it might take some time before he’s a consistent contributor for the Heat.
Cain could end up carving out a role for himself with the Heat like other undrafted players have also done. Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus are just some of the undrafted players that have had success with the Heat in recent years.
Miami is currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak, which has catapulted them to seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
It is set to open up a four-game home stand with Tuesday’s contest against the Bulls. The stretch will end with a showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 28. Fans are surely hoping that they’ll get to see LeBron James play in that contest.