Tyrese Martin is all about being dependable piece.
For most Nets fans, the first real memory of Martin is easy to pick out. It takes them back a year to last November, when out of the blue he erupted for 30 points in a 127-117 win over the Phoenix Suns. He shot a blistering 10-of-13 from the field, buried a career-high eight three-pointers, and even set a franchise record for most points in a game by a player on a two-way contract.
A former second-round pick of the Warriors out of UConn, the 6’6” Martin wound his way through the NBA with gigs in the Summer League and G League before joining Brooklyn. He got his first opportunity on a two-way contract with the organization last year that was converted to a standard NBA contract in February. The Nets even dipped into their MLE to sign him to the non-guaranteed two-year deal.
After a strong summer, the UConn product earned a place on Brooklyn’s roster, and through 17 games, he’s settled into a rotational role and continues to show real growth at 26, particularly filling in at the point when the coach needed a veteran presence.
Despite a rough 10 or so games to open the season, his past five outings have been impressive. Martin has averaged 13.6 points per game over that span, shooting 49.2% from the field, 44% from beyond the arc while adding 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals.
“Just being aggressive,” Martin said regarding his impressive stretch as of late. “I know I didn’t start the first 10 games how I wanted to and to help this team, and mentally I was messed up, but then I kind of got out of that like five games ago and let myself play free mentally and not think about how I’ve been playing, just how I’m going to play going forward and it’s been working for me.”
For Jordi Fernández, it’s not just Martin’s on-court production that stands out. It’s his maturity and the way he’s been willing to take on a leadership role on the court and off.
“I think he’s just a mature, steady person,” Fernández said of Martin. “You see it in the day-to-day, and it reflects on the court. All his teammates trust him. We trust him. And he’s been part of our success as far as competing every time we give ourselves a chance to compete.”
Maturity and leadership carry real weight inside the Nets organization and those qualities certainly helped give Martin an edge over the summer as he fought for a spot on the NBA roster.
When he joined me on The Brooklyn Boys Show, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line noted how strongly the Nets value building and maintaining a high-caliber culture, and how players who fit that standard tend to stand out.
“The Nets are so focused right now on building a culture and identity as much as anything else,” said Fischer. “They want to get back to that pre-KD Kyrie, that Kenny Atkinson. ‘We have a hardworking lunch pail identity.’“
It isn’t only Martin’s head coach who has noticed his game. Speaking with the media during training camp, Michael Porter Jr. said he had been highly impressed with the second-round pick turned development project.
”I didn’t know a lot about him, but he’s been consistently killing through scrimmages, through open runs... He’s been really impressive,” proclaimed the former Denver Nugget.
Martin said the big improvement in his game has to do with him taking his skillset one step further and deriving additional confidence.
“Last year, I was in position to where I played on the ball a lot,” he told reporters back in preseason. “So this summer we worked on the ball being in my hand a lot, whether there were runs of scrimmage, just making decisions, making reads off two feet, not turning the ball over, like I was when I started.”
Where does he go from here? The next milestone is January 10. Despite fitting in the rotation and getting kudos from his coach and teammates, Martin’s contract remains non-guaranteed through that date. If he remains on the roster after January 10, he’ll become fully guaranteed. Then come July, he’ll be a restricted free agent, meaning the Nets will have the right to match any offer he receives elsewhere. Any deal is likely to be small, but Martin has a simple but strong relationship with Fernandez. Asked his opinion of his head coach during training camp, Martin said, “I love him.”
“This is the first coach and team that’s given me an opportunity,” he said. “I feel I held up on my end and I didn’t make them look crazy for giving me this opportunity.” adding that his NBA journey is something the team wanted him to pass on, a kind of blueprint the Nets hope their young core follows.
Tyrese Martin is making his case with the Nets ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News