Kevin Martin
Position: SG
Hgt: 6'7"
Wgt: 185
Age: 26
Number: 23
Nickname: The Flying Platypus
College: Western Carolina
Yrs with Team: 5
Yrs in League: 5
Previous Teams: N/A
How Acquired: 2004 Draft Rnd 1 (#26)
Contract: 2009-10: $10.2mil; 2010-11: $11.1mil; 2011-12: $12.0mil; 2012-13: $12.9mil
Strengths: speed & quickness, great range, ability to draw fouls
Weaknesses: defensive effort, does not create for teammates, durability concerns
Offense (Scoring & Passing)
One of the league's best scorers, and scores in virtually every way, off the drive, on the break, from three, and from the line. Super efficiency of his early career has faded as defenses have keyed on him, and last season posted a career low .420 shooting percentage. Still averaged nearly 25ppg however with a potent combination of exceptional quickness and speed, complimented by deadeye outside shooting, esepcially with his feet set. Does not have great one on one or ballhandling skills, but is expert at coming off screens, and finding angles and seams if his opponent is off balance. Is also one of the tougher players to guard off the ball in the league, moving constantly and taking advantage of inattentive defense. Does have a tendency to tire and slow down in this respect late in games. Claims to have modeled his game after Rip Hamilton and Reggie Miller, and in one respect certainly has: he flops. A lot. Constantly looking for contact, and if he can't find it, will create it. Was second in the league in FTs drawn last season (to Dwight Howard) after leading the league the year before. Continues to convert them at a very high rate (87%), which helped buoy his efficiency stats even as his FG shooting percentage fell for the 4th straight year. Sometimes gets too interested in drawing the foul, and can miss easy shots while searching for contact. Still has a funky windup on his shot that slows it down, but has smoothed it out over the years, and the most important thing is that it goes in. Deadly shooter from three when left open, posting a career high .415 from deep last season, but not as effective if challenged. Continues to get opponents to bite on his pump fake, as the combination of fear of his outside shot along with his quickness causes many a defender to bite and regret it. Still very skinny, but has bulked up from his rookie year, and is better able to finish through contact. Has a particularly potent one handed floater on the drive. Loves to get out on the break and use his speed. In fact at least some of his defensive woes (see below) are because of this trait. Has solid passing skills, but rarely creates for teammates. Lack of ballhandling and scorer's mentality mean normally looking for the shot, not the pass. Has made more of an effort to function as a passer as talent has bled from the team around him, but has struggled with the role and has seen his turnovers rise every season partly as a result.
Defense & Rebounding
Nowhere near the defender he should be, and last season saw a near complete collapse on this side of the ball. Early in his career actually showed a combination of feistiness when being posted despite his extremely skinny build combined with the quickness to guard some PGs. Rarely see that intensity anymore though, and one assumes that its because of a focus on scoring. Is mistake prone on defense, often turning his head or losing his man. Lack of strength is a problem inside. Gets some steals up top by using his speed to jump on lazy crosscourt passes, but rarely picks his own man, and gets relatively few steals for someone with his quickness. Can be effective coming back to help on the glass with his athleticism, but just as often prefers to leak out looking for the easy score. This applies defensively as well, where he will often head upcourt before the ball is secured. With Ron Artest gone last season, and John Salmons traded midseason, defense was really exposed as the year ran on, and troublingly appeared to almost quit on that side of the ball at times. A lingering ankle injury was sometimes pointed to as a culprit, but it seemed to have much less effect on his play on the other side of the ball.
Intangibles
Quiet demeanor on and off court has contributed to popularity and reputation as a "nice guy", but perhaps too nice to function as an effective leader. Despite gaudy offensive stats, struggled in many intangible areas last year: unable to establish himself as the team leader despite being its best player, went through a horrid two month long stretch where he repeatedly made critical errors in clutch situations, and sat out a long stretch of the season with what intially seemed to be a relatively minor injury, again raising concerns about his durability (he has missed a combined 52 games the past two seasons) and whether his slight frame can withstand a full season of punishment as a primary option. On a more positive note, closed the season in style, finally scoring 50pts in a game against the Warriors before shutting it down and taking the rest of the season off. Will be interesting to see how well he meshes with rookie PG Tyreke Evans, an offensive minded ball dominant player.
Stats 08-09: 38.2min 24.6pts (.420 FG% .415 3pt% .867 FT%) 3.6reb 2.7ast 1.2stl 0.2blk 2.9TO
Stats Career: 30.3min 16.9pts (.454 FG% .389 3pt% .852 FT%) 3.6reb 1.8ast 0.9stl 0.1blk 1.7TO
NBA.com profile
[yt=Kevin Martin Clips]b_D-a4hfnHI[/yt]
Position: SG
Hgt: 6'7"
Wgt: 185
Age: 26
Number: 23
Nickname: The Flying Platypus
College: Western Carolina
Yrs with Team: 5
Yrs in League: 5
Previous Teams: N/A
How Acquired: 2004 Draft Rnd 1 (#26)
Contract: 2009-10: $10.2mil; 2010-11: $11.1mil; 2011-12: $12.0mil; 2012-13: $12.9mil
Strengths: speed & quickness, great range, ability to draw fouls
Weaknesses: defensive effort, does not create for teammates, durability concerns
Offense (Scoring & Passing)
One of the league's best scorers, and scores in virtually every way, off the drive, on the break, from three, and from the line. Super efficiency of his early career has faded as defenses have keyed on him, and last season posted a career low .420 shooting percentage. Still averaged nearly 25ppg however with a potent combination of exceptional quickness and speed, complimented by deadeye outside shooting, esepcially with his feet set. Does not have great one on one or ballhandling skills, but is expert at coming off screens, and finding angles and seams if his opponent is off balance. Is also one of the tougher players to guard off the ball in the league, moving constantly and taking advantage of inattentive defense. Does have a tendency to tire and slow down in this respect late in games. Claims to have modeled his game after Rip Hamilton and Reggie Miller, and in one respect certainly has: he flops. A lot. Constantly looking for contact, and if he can't find it, will create it. Was second in the league in FTs drawn last season (to Dwight Howard) after leading the league the year before. Continues to convert them at a very high rate (87%), which helped buoy his efficiency stats even as his FG shooting percentage fell for the 4th straight year. Sometimes gets too interested in drawing the foul, and can miss easy shots while searching for contact. Still has a funky windup on his shot that slows it down, but has smoothed it out over the years, and the most important thing is that it goes in. Deadly shooter from three when left open, posting a career high .415 from deep last season, but not as effective if challenged. Continues to get opponents to bite on his pump fake, as the combination of fear of his outside shot along with his quickness causes many a defender to bite and regret it. Still very skinny, but has bulked up from his rookie year, and is better able to finish through contact. Has a particularly potent one handed floater on the drive. Loves to get out on the break and use his speed. In fact at least some of his defensive woes (see below) are because of this trait. Has solid passing skills, but rarely creates for teammates. Lack of ballhandling and scorer's mentality mean normally looking for the shot, not the pass. Has made more of an effort to function as a passer as talent has bled from the team around him, but has struggled with the role and has seen his turnovers rise every season partly as a result.
Defense & Rebounding
Nowhere near the defender he should be, and last season saw a near complete collapse on this side of the ball. Early in his career actually showed a combination of feistiness when being posted despite his extremely skinny build combined with the quickness to guard some PGs. Rarely see that intensity anymore though, and one assumes that its because of a focus on scoring. Is mistake prone on defense, often turning his head or losing his man. Lack of strength is a problem inside. Gets some steals up top by using his speed to jump on lazy crosscourt passes, but rarely picks his own man, and gets relatively few steals for someone with his quickness. Can be effective coming back to help on the glass with his athleticism, but just as often prefers to leak out looking for the easy score. This applies defensively as well, where he will often head upcourt before the ball is secured. With Ron Artest gone last season, and John Salmons traded midseason, defense was really exposed as the year ran on, and troublingly appeared to almost quit on that side of the ball at times. A lingering ankle injury was sometimes pointed to as a culprit, but it seemed to have much less effect on his play on the other side of the ball.
Intangibles
Quiet demeanor on and off court has contributed to popularity and reputation as a "nice guy", but perhaps too nice to function as an effective leader. Despite gaudy offensive stats, struggled in many intangible areas last year: unable to establish himself as the team leader despite being its best player, went through a horrid two month long stretch where he repeatedly made critical errors in clutch situations, and sat out a long stretch of the season with what intially seemed to be a relatively minor injury, again raising concerns about his durability (he has missed a combined 52 games the past two seasons) and whether his slight frame can withstand a full season of punishment as a primary option. On a more positive note, closed the season in style, finally scoring 50pts in a game against the Warriors before shutting it down and taking the rest of the season off. Will be interesting to see how well he meshes with rookie PG Tyreke Evans, an offensive minded ball dominant player.
Stats 08-09: 38.2min 24.6pts (.420 FG% .415 3pt% .867 FT%) 3.6reb 2.7ast 1.2stl 0.2blk 2.9TO
Stats Career: 30.3min 16.9pts (.454 FG% .389 3pt% .852 FT%) 3.6reb 1.8ast 0.9stl 0.1blk 1.7TO
NBA.com profile
[yt=Kevin Martin Clips]b_D-a4hfnHI[/yt]
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