From the stands, Cody Martin noticed the look, the energy, the relentlessness to appreciate his brother was activated.
Because sometimes it takes a Psycho to know a Psycho.
With his Charlotte Hornets left to a lottery fate, Cody Martin has been at Kaseya Center to watch his twin brother, Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin, take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Doing it with a knowing nod of his brother relishing the high-stakes Heat moment with his high-energy approach.
“I mean, he’s just competitive,” Cody Martin said ahead of the Heat’s Game 4 against the Bucks on Monday night at Kaseya Center. “Once his back’s against the wall, and he feels like he just needs to step up, that’s what he does.”
Caleb Martin did that with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 3 victory Saturday night that gave the Heat a 2-1 series lead.
“He’s been like that forever,” Cody said of Caleb, as he waited for his brother outside of the Heat locker room. “And I think people are starting to see that on the regular now. He has a good way of balancing that. I think whatever the team needs, he’s willing to provide.”
For two seasons, the two forwards played together for the Hornets, just as they played two seasons at North Carolina State together and then two seasons at Nevada.
But it was before that, while at Oak Hill Academy, that their high-wire energy drew initial notice.
“When we were in high school, our coaches at Oak Hill, they used to call us Psycho,” Cody said. “But that’s just because we were competitive in a good way. And I think people can see that.”
For Caleb Martin, it has been a unique balancing act, and for reasons beyond manic and measured.
Despite thriving as a starter over the first half of the season, he was moved to the bench when the Heat acquired Kevin Love on Feb. 20 ahead of the buyout deadline.
Since then, it has been back to the bench role where he made his Heat breakthrough in 2021-22.
Through it all, Martin has regained his footing in this best-of-seven series against the Bucks as a rousing reserve.
“He has this just a burst of energy and effort, where you feel him immediately,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He was really good for us as a starter. But I think as a bench guy, it gives that instant like change of energy that I think fits very well with that unit.”
Now again with a comfort zone in that role.
“I like to kind of feel out the game, get to see what’s going on, kind of get your mental right,” Martin said of playing as a reserve. “Sometimes it’s a little different. Obviously, starting the game and having to figure it out on the fly, you never know what type of adjustments they throw at you.
“So it is a little easier coming off the bench. I just enjoy watching the game and seeing the guys and seeing basically what the game needs when I come in.”
As a starter, Martin admitted he found himself at times too deferential, lacking some of that scholastic psycho, giving way to Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro.
But then he took stock, got back in his head in his reserve revival.
“We’re always a better team when I’m aggressive,” he said. “That goes a long way. I just got to make sure with aggressiveness and assertiveness, I’ve just got to be ready for whatever.”
In Game 3, attack mode was activated, knowing there has to be more.
“It’s based on how the game is going, time and score, depending on when I get the ball, in certain positions,” he said. “So I’m still just trying to figure some of that stuff out. But no matter what. I think we’re better and I’m better when I’m being aggressive, rather than being passive. I don’t think a lot of players are great when they’re passive.”
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