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Heat have had 7 undrafted players play this postseason, most for an NBA Finals team since 1966-67

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated30 May 2023

Miami Heat have had 7 undrafted players play this postseason, most for an NBA Finals team since 1966-67

The Miami Heat have had a total of seven undrafted players play this postseason, the most for an NBA Finals team in the modern draft era since 1966-67. Undrafted players include Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, Udonis Haslem, Haywood Highsmith, Max Strus, Caleb Martin, and Omer Yurtseven.

Vincent and Strus made appearances as regular starters. Robinson comes off the bench as an outside threat. Through 18 games this postseason, the 6-foot-7 forward is shooting career highs of 46.9% from the floor and 44.6% beyond the arc.

Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Denver Nuggets remain the top favorite to win the championship. Sportsbooks are expecting Denver to defeat the Heat in five games or less in the 2023 NBA Finals.


In Miami’s 103-84 series-clinching win over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Martin ended his outing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 45 minutes of action. Jimmy Butler led the Heat in scoring with 28 points in 43 minutes as well.

Moreover, Martin and Butler are the second duo in Miami Heat franchise history to each score 25 points in a series-clinching Conference Finals win. They join LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2014 against the Indiana Pacers as the only pairs to accomplish this feat in franchise history.

Seven undrafted Heat players have participated in the 2023 NBA Playoffs: Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, Udonis Haslem, Haywood Highsmith, Max Strus, Caleb Martin, and Omer Yurtseven

Through seven appearances of this ECF, Martin scored 132 points, passing John Starks in the 1994 NBA Finals (124) for the most points in a Conference or NBA Finals by an undrafted player in the modern draft era since 1966-67.

While Udonis Haslem only played for less than three minutes of Game 3 in Miami’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, the 20-year veteran still made an appearance. Omer Yurtseven also scored a couple of baskets in Games 3 and 5 versus Boston.

Furthermore, Celtics’ Jayson Tatum sprained his left ankle on the opening possession of Game 7. Boston struggled on the offensive side from start to finish. The Heat outscored the Celtics 52-41 in the first half and 27-18 in the fourth quarter.


Now the Miami Heat have won 41 straight playoff games when leading by 10 or more points at halftime, the second-longest streak in NBA history behind the Los Angeles Lakers (63 from 1985-2008). Their last loss was in 2000 at the New York Knicks.

Additionally, the Heat are the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals, joining the Knicks in 1999. Miami is the first play-in team to advance to the Finals. And the Heat are the third team in league history to rank last in PPG (109.5) during the regular season and reach the Finals.

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