Kevin Martin

Mad D

Mad D

Starter
#61
#61
Not to take anything away from Kevin but anyone notice how similar these stat lines are?

38mpg 7.5/16.0 FGM/FGA 46.7% 8.5/9.9 FTM/FTA 4.7rpg 2.0apg 1.4spg 2.5PF 25.3ppg
39mpg 7.7/16.6 FGM/FGA 46.2% 8.0/9.9 FTM/FTA 4.2rpg 2.8apg 1.0spg 2.7PF 24.0ppg

One is Richard Jefferson and the other is Martin's. I'll let you go and see who is who. Sorry just probably thinking out loud while looking at my fantasy team but since this is a Kevin thread thought I'd put it here. I'd take Kevin in who is in his 4th year over Jefferson in his 7th year any day.
 
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BudWright

G-League
#63
#63
Can't wait to watch the taped game from last night. Being there was just such a great time--it wasn't just Kevin's shooting that was so incredible, but his movement on the court. He runs like a gazelle--quick and soft before draining the shot. Say what you want--he is a very very talented player and we are lucky he is on our team. How can you not like this kid? How can you not celebrate his great game? Annie.
 
Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#65
#65
Stupendous performance. What I notice with Martin is that when he has the rest - at the beginning of the season and after coming off injury - he is incredibly good. It seems though that he is affected more by the grind of the NBA even more than others because of his build, his willingness to mix it up with the big guys, and his ability to draw fouls. I'd like to see Theus max him out at 35 minutes a game, tops. Keep him fresh and I think this kind of performance will become the norm rather than the exception.

By the way, can we dispense with the Peja comparisons now?
 
S

SCKingsfan

Bench
#66
#66
Did anyone notice that Kmart was the lone person on the board for that last shot by Salmons? I'm glad John made it, but it would have been an apt finish to see martin follow up a game-ending stuff.
 
K

kaocsaephan

Prospect
#68
#68
i just came by to say....the best game for the kings last night. the crowd was all over it. i wish i was there haha. brings back good memories. kmart was on fire and salmons was clutch. i dont mind a kings-mavs playoff series, even though we can't expect too much.
 
S

Smills91

Starter
#70
#70
fnordius said:
Yeah, but career averages:
Kevin 13.8 points
Rip: 17.9

Kevin's just a kid, and, coming from a weak college team, had a LOT of adjusting to do his first year in the NBA. He only got 5 minutes in the average Kings game, his rookie year, because all he could do was to shoot, badly (38% FG, 20% 3s, 65% FT).

Rip, on the other hand, played a so-so rookie year, then followed it with 8 years between 17.6 and 20.1 points per game, with very consistent percentages.

So I'm not saying that either one's better than the other, but Rip has already earned everyone's respect, which is still an ongoing process for Kevin.
Click to expand...

Now let's look at those stats with starters minutes.
 
Showtime

Showtime

Starter
#72
#72
Some things I noticed about the last two games:

He's playing more team ball. He used to drive, and either put up a shot no matter what, or just kick out on the perimeter if he couldn't drive on a guy. I noticed he was driving, and then setting up guys who cut to the basket, after drawing the extra defender. I want to see more of that.

He also isn't forcing his 3 ball as much. He's using his quickness to get a midrange shot, which makes him more effective.

I still think he's a bit one dimentional. He needs to improve his defense and learn to use his quickness to improve his on-the-ball defense. Artest isn't nearly as quick, yet he seems faster than he really is because he has the knack of getting his hands on the ball and forcing turnovers. If Martin can learn to do that, he can be a great perimeter defender.

He scores the ball, and does it well, but he still needs to expand his game IMO.
 
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dude12

Hall of Famer
#74
#74
Sure was a fun game to watch. I appreciate the effort in this. KMart's scoring ability overshadows other parts of his game...I think his defense is ok...not great but ok which is better than crappy. On a sidenote, how about Cisco lately?
 
Gary

Gary

All-Star
#75
#75
dude12 said:
Sure was a fun game to watch. I appreciate the effort in this. KMart's scoring ability overshadows other parts of his game...I think his defense is ok...not great but ok which is better than crappy. On a sidenote, how about Cisco lately?
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Cisco who? ohhhhh.. The guy that everyone thought I was nuts for saying as a starter he would avg 16+ ppg? :D
 
LMM

LMM

Starter
#76
#76
Terrific game by Kevin! I had to do a double take when I saw he was 14/16 ! just amazing. I guess the rest rejuvenated him that's why he's been having explosive games since coming back.

Kudos to Salmons, too, for getting the game winning bucket to go

GO KINGS! :D
 
T

The Hammer

All-Star
#77
#77
I was thinking that Kevin's rest may have been very good for him. Good because it gave him a chance to really study his own game and watch a ton of film and talk/work with coaches. I see it as no problem at all that he had that little injury, perhaps even to the contrary, a blessing in disguise.

The great thing about Kevin is his constant desire/ability to improve.
 
PurpleHaze

PurpleHaze

All-Star
#78
#78
One of the things I noticed since he came back is his off ball movement. Kevin seems to be in running his defensive man silly all over the half court with at lot of high energy. No more standing around in the "coffin corner" as he called it - recognizing it tends to lead to stagnation in Coach Theus' motion offense.
 
Bricklayer

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#79
#79
PurpleHaze said:
One of the things I noticed since he came back is his off ball movement. Kevin seems to be in running his defensive man silly all over the half court with at lot of high energy. No more standing around in the "coffin corner" as he called it - recognizing it tends to lead to stagnation in Coach Theus' motion offense.
Click to expand...

There may be another interesting issue there -- minutes. Coming in fresh from the injury, playing less than 30 minutes a game, he has the energy to run and attack every second he's in there. Be interesting to see what happens if he settles back in as a full time starter in the grind.
 
C Diddy

C Diddy

Starter
#80
#80
Absolutely B-E-A-utiful performance by Kevin. I was really impressed. He looked like a man on a mission out there. He was practically unstoppable. Hitting big jumpers, attacking the lane, beating double teams. Well done.
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#81
#81
hardware_failure said:
I think Kmart should start pushin weight to gain mass and strength. He would loose some quickness and hop, but could really fill some other gaps in his game.
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It's not gonna happen. His body style is what you see and one of the best parts of his game is because of it. Lose his quickness and some hops? Yeah, that'd help.

Sorry, but this idea that Kevin needs to gain mass and strength has been around since the first time he stepped on the court and he has come a long way in developing upper body strength. He does NOT need to bulk up. It would pretty much destroy what makes him so special.

Let Kevin be Kevin.
 
F

fnordius

All-Star
#82
#82
Bricklayer said:
There may be another interesting issue there -- minutes. Coming in fresh from the injury, playing less than 30 minutes a game, he has the energy to run and attack every second he's in there. Be interesting to see what happens if he settles back in as a full time starter in the grind.
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Yeah, I think what we've seen the last 2 games is something we usually only see at the beginning of the season: a well-rested Kevin Martin.
 
A

AriesMar27

Guest
#84
#84
oddly enough the next night hamilton scores 39 points... the comparisson is just to close... wow... but way to go kevin...
 
NewArena

NewArena

All-Star
#85
#85
The main issue i have with Kevin is he picks up his dribble to early at times which could really bail out a defense, but i guess that will come when his ball handling improves. Everything else with his game is improving every day, it seems like his passing definitely has.
 
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