T-Mobile Player of the Week: Kevin Martin

by Tom Martin on Mar 23, 2010 11:41 AM CDT in T-Mobile Player of the Week

I feel like this was a long time coming.

Kevin shot over 40% in each game last week, and played a key role in the Rockets' victory over the Denver Nuggets with 29 points. He also scored 28 against the Knicks, and with the exception of that game, kept his turnovers to a minimum throughout the week.

There are two aspects of Kevin's game that Rockets fans need to start getting used to:

A. He does his damage while you are leaning forward to look for the remote, or looking down to reach for your popcorn, or simply zoning out while watching the game. In other words, you don't notice Kevin's production nearly as much as you notice that of other elite scorers. He doesn't demand the ball like a Carmelo Anthony or a Kobe Bryant might. He takes what comes, and moves around the perimeter or down the baseline, hoping someone might find him for a pass. But he doesn't handicap the offense in the same way that Tracy McGrady did. He might not even touch the ball once on many possessions. That's just the way he plays, and if there is any beneficiary of his unselfishness and patience, it is Aaron Brooks.

B. He still has a lot of work to do on defense. As one of the commenters, Tisbee, pointed out, teams are starting to attack Kevin more. I remember David Thorpe telling Henry Abbott that if Kevin really dedicates himself to defense, he can be a good defender. Not to disagree with David, who knows far more about Kevin that I do, but in watching Kevin, I've noticed how flat-footed and upright he can get while guarding an opposing player. He doesn't get low to the ground like good perimeter defenders do, and as a result, he gets beaten off the dribble quite easily. His help defense seems to be getting better, which is a good sign. But he has a lot of work to do in order to become a better defender - luckily, it's in the little things that are tied to simple dedication.

For now, Kevin's going to have to do even more offensively, as our frontcourt seems to have been swatted to the trainer's room like a bunch of flies. I don't think he'll mind.

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Thank you Tom

You put Kevin “disappearances” perfectly. I’ve been trying to say that this whole time I keep saying that he disappears on offense, but that was never what I really meant. Indeed, he doesn’t demand the ball like other superstars. Stupid me thinking that was a bad thing.

How many Biletnikoffs does he have? NOT TWO!

by ak2themax on Mar 23, 2010 12:25 PM CDT reply actions

Check out SacTown Royalty for a PhD level exegesis on the subject.

Significant gravitas shortfall expected in 2010.

The Dreamshake

by Xiane on Mar 23, 2010 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions

Player of the Week

It’s about time one of the Rockets gets player of the week! I’m hoping to see more of this for our players. Kevin Martin is a good start.

Vanessa T. Peltier
Native Houstonian, an Endangered Species

by vpeltier54 on Mar 23, 2010 9:55 PM CDT reply actions

I feel Kevin has more to show us.

He has been playing, well, efficiently … as good as he was advertised. I think more than anything his disappearances in the 4th quarter are due to his high usage. He plays more than 40 minutes a game, and Adelman has him cutting and moving and probing the defense all the time. That is a very tiring (inefficient?) use of his skills. I mean, all game long?

If his time can be managed at around 35 min, I think he can be asked to attack more in the 4th quarter. For him to attack, he needs space. When we are setting up screens and moving, it impedes his one-on-one attacks.

I would like to see more leadership from him. One way forward would be for us to set him up for isolation from time to time, like how Adelman sets up AB in the endgame. We should have a variety of ways to win. When he gets his high level offense back, and teams try to stop him by doubling, then that would augur well for the rest of the team.

As to his defense, I think if he plays less minutes, he would be more dedicated to his defense too.

by RoxBeliever on Mar 24, 2010 12:16 AM CDT reply actions

Kevin Martin is a great player

for the first three quarters. Don’t expect him to be more than that and you won’t get disappointed.

"I know we certainly gave up a lot to get him, but we do have other players on the perimeter who we can plug in. We haven’t had anybody who we feel is a go-to guy in the post. So we gave up a lot to get a lot, and we’re real excited about adding Carl." - Paul Westphal

by NewEraKings on Mar 24, 2010 12:40 AM CDT reply actions

He's come through for us in the 4th of a couple of games already.

I wonder if this isn’t a perception thing and not a stat based thing? (And I really am asking.) Is there a statistical reason to believe that, or is it that sometimes he hasn’t come through in 4th?

On a number of “not clutch” guys one sees that their production stays the same or goes up slightly in the 4th. A very few players produce more in the 4th quarter. JR Smith in Denver is one of those as it happens.

Significant gravitas shortfall expected in 2010.

The Dreamshake

by Xiane on Mar 24, 2010 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions

I had to laugh

when Feigen of the Chronicle quoted Martin on how making winning shots can boost your confidence after Brooks hit the game winner against Denver. Martin can count the number of game winners in his career on one hand. Statistically, he scores less in the fourth also.

by NewEraKings on Mar 25, 2010 2:36 AM CDT up reply actions

hey dude, he's our "problem" now so no one really cares about your opinion

if he gives us 25 pts in the 1st 3 quarters, we’ll be happy to take those kind of games from him too. we just need to know his weaknesses so we can have other players complement him

you’ll notice landry has weaknesses in his game too, oh, and tyreke too. Worry about your team, ok?

by RoxBeliever on Mar 25, 2010 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Sorry RB

Not sure who this guy is but I think you’ve visited StR before and you probably know who are the best people to talk to about Kevin.

NewEra actually sounds a lot like someone who used to post at StR and really didn’t like Kevin and couldn’t wait for him to be traded. Suspicious, but I’m not going to fill your blog with that stuff. One thing I do know, it won’t be the last time someone comes in and badmouthes Kevin; some Kings ‘fans’ never appreciated the guy for who he was.

Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying all the positives Speed brings to the table. Landry is doing well for us too.

"Children want what they want when they want it." ... Andy Sims

by edm7 on Mar 25, 2010 7:22 PM CDT up reply actions

But how many games has he won for the Kings in the endgame?

I look at his 2008 games and he had amazing production. Of course, the defensive pressures he is receiving may have also changed over the last few years. But if the Rockets know how to use him optimally, he will not disappear.

I feel RA is “protecting” him a bit by not exposing him to a lot of pressure at this time. Hopefully next year we will see him more in a featured role in clutch situations.

by RoxBeliever on Mar 25, 2010 1:44 AM CDT up reply actions