Sixers' Newest Addition Has Had Great Success Against Key Rival

On Saturday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers made their latest addition in free agency. Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Caleb Martin has agreed to a four-year deal worth around $32 million.

Over the past three seasons, Martin has been a key role player in the Miami Heat's supporting cast. His effective two-way play was a driving catalyst in them making the finals in 2023. Now, he'll be looking to have similar success playing alongside the NBA's newest big three.

The Sixers have put a major focus on wing depth, and rightfully so. Arguably their biggest rival, the Boston Celtics, is loaded with perimeter threats. If Philly wants any chance at taking them down in a playoff series, they'll need an array of rangy forwards of their own to try and slow them down.

Luckily for the Sixers, their newest addition has had great success against the Celtics in the past. Most notably during the postseason. During the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Martin averaged 19.3 PPG on 60/49/88 shooting splits against the Celtics. His biggest performance came in Game 7, when he recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds to eliminate Boston.

While the Heat didn't have similar success against the Celtics in last season's playoffs, Martin still performed well. He averaged 11.6 PPG across five games while shooting 44% from beyond the arc.

With how the roster is currently constructed, Martin is set to play a big role for the Sixers in 2025. Despite only standing at 6-foot-5, he'll likely fill the void at power forward left by Nic Batum. As he gets ready to join the Sixers' supporting cast, his playoff success is a major positive.

Following the signing of Paul George, the Sixers are looking to contend for a championship right now. With that in mind, signings like this are a major step in the right direction. If Philly is going to go toe-to-toe with Boston's loaded lineup, they'll need guys to step up and be X-factors if they want to come out on top.