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Under the Radar With Mike Breen
Posted Dec 1 2006 11:01AM
Veteran NBA play-caller Mike Breen is the lead voice for the NBA on ABC Sports and ESPN including the NBA Finals. You can hear him on ESPN every Wednesday night and on ABC Sundays starting Jan. 21. In addition, Breen will give you his thoughts on the league and that night's ESPN matchup here on NBA.com every Wednesday
Dec. 1, 2006 — I am really looking forward to this Friday night's game, not only to see the hottest team in the NBA in the Dallas Mavericks but also to take a look at one of hotter starts in the league from a player. Kevin Martin of the Kings is somebody that many fans had not really heard of, but who is rapidly becoming a prominent name in opposing scouting reports. For those who are unaware of Martin's exploits this season, his numbers are incredible — 23 points per game, .527 shooting from the field and .472 from three-point territory. The only two guards in the Western Conference averaging more than Martin are Ray Allen (25.2 ppg) and Kobe Bryant (26.2). And no one has seen a bigger scoring increase from last season (10.8) to this season thus far than Martin.
Now you may ask yourself, "Where did this guy come from?" A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Martin was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of Western Carolina. And for anyone that ever saw him in college, and that does not include me, they know that this guy can play. At Western Carolina, Martin played under former St. John's player Steve Shurina and was second in the nation in scoring as a junior in the Southern Conference. Even though it isn't one of the higher profile conferences, it still produces terrific, competitive basketball.
The Sacramento Kings obviously did their scouting before selecting Martin. Even though he has busted out this season, there were signs from his play in his first two years in the league that he had the makings of being a special player. In his first season, Martin had 37 DNP-coach’s decisions, so he didn’t play a heck of a lot. But when he did play, there was the occasional stretch where you would say, "Wow, who is this Kevin Martin?" Last season, his numbers increased from his rookie season as he started 41 games, averaging double figures (10.8 points) while shooting a high percentage (.480 percent), so it's not like he came out of nowhere. His success at this point of his career has been a gradual process. He was able to grow the right way as a player. He sat, learned and watched, and, whenever he was given the opportunity, he always tried to maximize it, such as last season in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs when he scored 26 points against the Spurs in San Antonio.
The opportunity for Martin to really contribute actually happened during the offseason when Kings’ free agent Bonzi Wells rejected Sacramento’s offer before eventually signing elsewhere. The fact that the Kings didn’t try to prevent Wells from seeking other offers probably told you that they were confident in Martin stepping up this season. Sometimes the best deals are the ones that aren’t made.
http://www.nba.com/features/breen.html
Posted Dec 1 2006 11:01AM
Veteran NBA play-caller Mike Breen is the lead voice for the NBA on ABC Sports and ESPN including the NBA Finals. You can hear him on ESPN every Wednesday night and on ABC Sundays starting Jan. 21. In addition, Breen will give you his thoughts on the league and that night's ESPN matchup here on NBA.com every Wednesday
Dec. 1, 2006 — I am really looking forward to this Friday night's game, not only to see the hottest team in the NBA in the Dallas Mavericks but also to take a look at one of hotter starts in the league from a player. Kevin Martin of the Kings is somebody that many fans had not really heard of, but who is rapidly becoming a prominent name in opposing scouting reports. For those who are unaware of Martin's exploits this season, his numbers are incredible — 23 points per game, .527 shooting from the field and .472 from three-point territory. The only two guards in the Western Conference averaging more than Martin are Ray Allen (25.2 ppg) and Kobe Bryant (26.2). And no one has seen a bigger scoring increase from last season (10.8) to this season thus far than Martin.
Now you may ask yourself, "Where did this guy come from?" A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Martin was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of Western Carolina. And for anyone that ever saw him in college, and that does not include me, they know that this guy can play. At Western Carolina, Martin played under former St. John's player Steve Shurina and was second in the nation in scoring as a junior in the Southern Conference. Even though it isn't one of the higher profile conferences, it still produces terrific, competitive basketball.
The Sacramento Kings obviously did their scouting before selecting Martin. Even though he has busted out this season, there were signs from his play in his first two years in the league that he had the makings of being a special player. In his first season, Martin had 37 DNP-coach’s decisions, so he didn’t play a heck of a lot. But when he did play, there was the occasional stretch where you would say, "Wow, who is this Kevin Martin?" Last season, his numbers increased from his rookie season as he started 41 games, averaging double figures (10.8 points) while shooting a high percentage (.480 percent), so it's not like he came out of nowhere. His success at this point of his career has been a gradual process. He was able to grow the right way as a player. He sat, learned and watched, and, whenever he was given the opportunity, he always tried to maximize it, such as last season in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs when he scored 26 points against the Spurs in San Antonio.
The opportunity for Martin to really contribute actually happened during the offseason when Kings’ free agent Bonzi Wells rejected Sacramento’s offer before eventually signing elsewhere. The fact that the Kings didn’t try to prevent Wells from seeking other offers probably told you that they were confident in Martin stepping up this season. Sometimes the best deals are the ones that aren’t made.
http://www.nba.com/features/breen.html
