Martin's second season with the Timberwolves was marred by injury, limiting the shooting guard to 39 games overall. Still, when the 11-year-veteran was available, he was back to his high-scoring ways. In 33 minutes per game, Martin averaged 20 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.9 three-pointers. As a scoring threat with a side of three-pointers, Martin was a valuable fantasy asset. His efficiency, however, was lacking. Martin shot 43 percent from the field last season. The good news is that he's a sniper from deep (39 percent from three-point-range last season), and he can convert at the line (88 percent on free throws last season). Those skills point to Martin being a valuable contributor in fantasy in 2015-16, especially if he continues to rake in starter's minutes on this young Timberwolves squad. One thing to note for Martin's fantasy value is that he is definitely a candidate to be dealt this season. Martin was at the center of plenty of trade rumors last year, and the T-Wolves certainly could look to deal Martin to open minutes for Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad on the wing. The threat of a potential trade could put a slight ding in Martin's fantasy value, but it's nearly certain that he will maintain some offensive potency no matter what roster he is a part of.
Kevin Martin will enter the 2014-15 season on the same team he played with the previous season for the first time since 2011 when he was with the Rockets. The 11th-year shooting guard has bounced from the go-to guy on Houston to a season off the bench with Oklahoma City to back to being a starter with the Wolves. He was the second leading scorer on the team last season with 19.1 points per game on 43 percent from the field, 39 percent on three-pointers for 1.7 three-pointers, and 89 percent from the free-throw stripe. Other than his scoring numbers, Martin doesn't provide much fantasy value. In 32 minutes last year, he averaged 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.1 blocks. Now that Kevin Love has finally been traded, the team will likely rely on Martin for even more scoring. He scored at least 20 points per game in five straight seasons from 2006-07 to 2010-11 when he was primarily with the Kings. Martin may not be quite as athletic as he was earlier in his career, but he will certainly have enough scoring opportunities with the 2014-15 Timberwolves because there isn't a clear number two scorer (maybe Thaddeus Young) on the roster. If Martin can stay healthy (he missed 14 games last year and half of the 2011-12 season with a shoulder issue), he should be a nice fantasy value for points and percentages.
Acquired by the Thunder in the blockbuster James Harden trade just days before the regular season, Martin stepped in as a de facto replacement for Harden as the team's sixth man. Unburdened from the strain of serving as the Thunder's primary perimeter scorer like he was in Houston, Martin benefitted from more open looks with defenses focusing their attention on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. While his scoring expectedly fell from 17.1 to 14.0 points per game with his new team, Martin nailed 158 three-pointers at a career-best 43 percent clip, while his 45 percent accuracy from the field was his best output since the 2007-08 campaign. Martin parlayed the strong season into a four-year, $28 million contract with the Timberwolves, where he'll be asked to more or less reprise the role he held with the Rockets as the team's top scoring threat in the backcourt. Expect Martin's counting numbers to rise as a result of the added playing time he'll see with the Wolves, though it will almost certainly come with a drop-off from the improved shooting percentages he posted with the Thunder. Never regarded as a strong defender and coming off a season in which he averaged just 3.0 rebounds per 36 minutes, Martin can't be counted upon to contribute much outside of the offensive categories.
Martin failed to yield much for those who invested in him last season, as he shot a porous 41.3 percent from the field before a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely. As a result of these complications, Martin�s main skill--his scoring--plummeted over six points per game from the season before. Even with the subpar campaign and his extensive injury history, Martin�s prospects still look somewhat bright in light of the Rockets� offseason overhaul. General manager Daryl Morey tried in vain to land Dwight Howard, trading away Samuel Dalembert and accumulating three first-round picks in an attempt to entice the Magic to make a trade. When that failed, he attempted to create cap space by amnestying Luis Scola, leaving the Rockets with a core consisting of Martin, free agent signing Jeremy Lin, and a collection of raw wing and frontcourt players. Like Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic before him, Lin will surely be in control of the Rockets� offense, but Martin (always with the caveat of �if healthy� attached to him) should still get his looks given the lack of experience his supporting cast has. Martin will only help you in scoring, threes, and free-throw percentage, but if he can inch closer to his career shooting percentage of 44.3, he has a chance at re-emerging as a 20-point per game scorer.
The oft-injured Martin defied fate last season and played in 80 games, averaging 23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.2 three-pointers, 1.0 steals, and 2.3 turnovers in 33 minutes per game. Coach Rick Adelman may have found the trick to keeping Martin healthy by reducing his playing time. Where Martin had averaged over 35 minutes per game each of his previous four seasons, Adelman chose to play him fewer minutes but gave him even more possessions on offense. Martin’s ability to get to the line (8.4 free throw attempts per game) and hit his shots there effectively (89 percent) makes him a reliable scorer and valuable fantasy asset. The fact that he doesn’t rely solely on the jump shot means Martin can be productive game-in and game-out. New coach Kevin McHale will change things up in Houston, but Martin is expected again to be the focal point of the team’s offense.
If you're suspicious about valuing Kevin Martin too highly -- either in preparing for your draft, or in a midseason trade, even – well, you're not alone. Martin has been a risky proposition over the past three years, averaging a mere 53 games per annum. That's a lot of lost value right there, and anyone who's used a second or third round pick on him has felt the sting of those games lost to injury. In terms of what Martin offers his owners when he's on the court, obviously the 20 or so points per game are a place to start. Only about 15-20 guys per season will cross that 20-point threshold, and Martin's been one of them for the past four years now. He's also generally good for 1.5 to 2.0 three-pointers per contest – another feat that's sure to place him among the 30 best in that category. But Martin's real value comes from his contributions at the free throw line. During the 2008-09 season, Martin finished second in free throw attempts only to Dwight Howard, hitting 86.7 percent of those (in sharp contrast to Howard's 59.4 percent). Martin's attempts dropped last season down to 7.4 per game, but that's still good for a top-10 finish in that particular category. And among those with more attempts, only Kevin Durant and his 90-something percent shooting is going to outpace Martin's contributions. Of course, it's very likely that the sort of aggressiveness that gets Martin to the line in the first places is the same thing that causes the injuries that have been his downfall. It's now Houston's job to keep Martin healthy. He'll be their starting shooting guard this season.
Although Martin’s aggressive style has steadily boosted his free-throw-percentage impact over the past three seasons, his owners will be the first to tell you they’d rather he backed off a bit and stayed healthy. Martin has missed an average of 26 games over the past two seasons due to an assortment of injuries, the most serious being the ankle that caused him to miss 31 games last season. Reports on his recovery have been favorable thus far, and he should be ready for the start of the season. Health withstanding, Martin has proven to be a top-25 player on a per-game basis with strong contributions in four categories: points (24.6), three-pointers made (2.3), free-throw percentage (86.7 percent on 10.3 attempts) and steals (1.2). His field-goal percentage has fallen off dramatically from an efficient 48-percent clip in 2005-06 to a mere 42.1 percent last season. The reason for this is more of a fluke than anything, as his effective field goal percentage on shots from close has dropped off from a healthy 58.8 percent in 2006-07 to an anemic 46.7 percent last season. Expect his field goal percentage to normalize this season as a result.
Martin shattered his career-high in scoring for the second season in a row (23.7 ppg), and appears poised to join the league leaders in that category this year. Martin is a quick, slim 6-7 shooting guard that likes to move without the ball and catch-and-shoot in the mold of a Rip Hamilton or Reggie Miller. He knocked down a career-best 1.8 treys per while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, and as his perimeter-game improves he should be even better at using the dribble-drive to get to the rim and draw contact. Martin also dominated the free-throw category last season, hitting 86.9 percent from the line on 9.5 attempts per game. The Kings traded Ron Artest this offseason, making it clear that Martin is the unquestioned franchise player on the squad. With an entire offense built around him, Martin should move firmly into the fantasy elite this season.
Martin was the winner of last season’s unofficial “where the heck did that come from?” award. After a largely-anonymous first two seasons, Martin nearly doubled his previous career-high in scoring (20.2 ppg) in his first full year as a starter, knocking down 1.6 treys per while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the line. That performance earned him a nice contract extension and “building block for the future” status. Martin’s numbers stand a good chance of increasing across the board this season, as new Sacramento coach Reggie Theus installs a more up-tempo offense that should lead to more possessions and scoring opportunities.
Martin averaged only 10.8 points and 3.6 rebounds with .9 3-pointers as a second year player last season. So why is he on this list? Because in the 41 games he started those averages were closer to 14 points and five rebounds with 1.3 threes. Martin also shot 51% from the field, 84% from the line and 43% from behind the arc. Factor in almost a steal and two assists per, and Martin could be an intriguing young player on the way up. Martin is a very slim 6-7, physically in the mold of a Rip Hamilton, and like Hamilton he likes to shoot. But Martin has a better three-point shot, so his game is better rounded.
Martin, taken 26th in the 2004 draft, is an explosive player who played sparingly last season as a Kings backup. Don't count on him for much, as he is probably still too young and inexperienced to play major minutes.
Martin, taken 26th in the 2004 draft, is an explosive player who was second in the NCAA in scoring last season, averaging 24.9 points per game. Unfortunately for Martin, the Kings already have three solid guards (Mike Bibby, Doug Christe, Bobby Jackson), so he won’t see too many minutes this season.
Explosive player, can get it done from the perimeter or by taking the ball to the basket. Has a long wing span that allows him to defend at multiple positions. His thin, rail-like body concerns some scouts. Likes to shoot three-pointers but doesnt have a good three-point shot.
