How "True" of a Point Guard Do We Really Need?

I don't agree. I saw Kevin create for others much more so than the previous year. Of course, when he made a great pass it often went for naught; either the guy couldn't finish down low, or someone like Salmons couldn't hit the open shot. His passing seems to be getting better and better, and unlike Peja, he doesn't have to put his head down and use every ounce of foot speed to create separation from players. He can actually go at about 2/3 speed, keep his head up and get past his defender, all the while looking for a player to pass to (or shoot). In fact, he's developing a nice change of pace that makes it easier to create opportunities for others. Some of his passes were outstanding last year (I really never have seen that in Peja). I think he has ton more upside in the creator and assist-man roles than Peja.

It's not that Martin = Peja when it comes to passing ability and creating for his teammates. I don't think too many would argue about who is the better facilitator, and Kevin has a few things working in his favor to give him that edge (ball handling ability and foot speed being primary).

I don't mean to speak for anyone else, but I've often compared Kevin's ability to get his teammates involved and make them better (italics key) with Peja's, so I feel qualified and justified in speaking up.

The key argument is that creating for his teammates is not a core part of Kevin's game. He's not at his best when he's looking for the open man; he's at his best when he's getting open and taking shots. I think we saw extensive proof of that when he came back from injury last season and went on a tear, because it seemed like every time he touched the ball, he was scoring. That's his niche. He's a scorer. Unlike Kobe or LeBron or other "great" scorers, he has limitations when it comes to creating his own shots, so his touches have to be a bit more orchestrated in order for him to be at his absolute best, but he's more than a shooter, like Jason Kapono. Even still, his offense generally comes at the expense of someone else's, and that's okay when you produce efficiently. And he's certainly no black hole, so that's not a big concern.

But when you ask Kevin to take his teammates into consideration, when you ask him to curtail his opportunities and look to create for someone else, you're asking him to stop doing what he does best (not just what he prefers to do, but what he's most effective at) and do something that he's not quite as good at. Then you have the other end of the spectrum in Jason Kidd, who if you asked him to be the primary scorer wouldn't be nearly as effective as he's been throughout his career. He'd probably suck, actually.

Guys like Chris Paul or Steve Nash or LeBron James don't have to do one or the other, and that's what makes them so special; he can look for his teammates and take his shots at the same time, and the defense can't focus on one aspect, because then it's curtains the other way. (Kobe's more of a ball hog, so his offense often comes at the expense of his teammates, but he definitely has the ability to maintain a balance between scoring and creating as well.)

Kevin Martin doesn't have that luxury, and likely never will. Some people don't like the comparison, but I think he'll wind up more like Ray Allen than Peja Stojakovic, but they are both cut from the same cloth. Ray has the athleticism and natural ability to do amazing things with the basketball, both as a scorer and as a facilitator, but he's at his best when he's gunning; that's his niche. Nothing wrong with that. Everyone can't be Kobe or LeBron, or Paul or Nash, which is what makes those guys so special.

I don't think it would be wise to try to put Kevin in position where he has to worry about anyone's shots aside from his own. He can be a 25+ point per game high percentage scorer for a long time, and that's impressive in and of itself. If he can add 3 or 4 assists by kicking to the open man when he draws help defenders and a handful of rebounds, he'll have done his part.
 
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