I will be the first to admit that while I like KMJ(seems like a good kid), I don't particularly think he had much of a future in the NBA - too small a frame for the big man skill set he had. I thought he was more or less a smaller version of his Dad with a little more range. I said in order to "stick" in the league he would need to be a pesky 3 and d guy and likely he would need to shoot at a much higher level than I thought he was capable of and definitely would need to develop a little more ball handling to be a perimeter player. ....so far this season I will admit I have seen some real flashes from him that are making me rethink his future in the league. I'm not ready to say he has a future with this roster(maybe as a 7th or 8th man), but his shooting has been really solid and he seems much more dialed in. I haven't seen as much of the ball handling skills, but the shooting has definitely improved, he is rim running HARD, his defense appears to be better both on the perimeter and challenging at the rim with verticality(without fouling), and he just seems to be playing with confidence which is something I worried about given the trade request earlier in the offseason. All and all, I'm impressed with how he has improved and how he has handled himself so far. Hats off to him for working hard and finding ways to get better at new things. Are others changing their opinion on Kenyon Martin Jr too?
...and if you read this and immediately went to the box scores(because you didn't catch the games) to form your 'take', I'm not interested in your opinion. This is about watching him play - not watching stats lines.
no because I’ve been thinking he should have been getting more minutes and can be a solid rotation player in this league which is why I wasn’t mad at him for wanting out
No . he could always jump he has an OK shot . cant play a lick of D , and doesn’t usually know where he’s supposed to be . Chases the highlight reel play . My opinion of him will change when he gets a bit of a handle and can D up . Dude prolly has the weakest hands on the roster . I think I could strip him .
I think he has looked much better to me on defense this year so far - that can be swayed by the competition, I'm sure the matchup dictates how effective he is but I haven't seen him near as "lost" as I have in the past.
Fits our style and in fact makes him worth more. If we ever change style or coaches his value could tank.
I kinda like him with the Run and Shoot lineup of KPJ/Jalen/Tari/KMJ/Jabari .. that lineup will probably get us back into any game where we find ourselves behind by double digits.
His improved shot is a carry-over from last season. After a bad start, he had a 52-game stretch of 40% on 1 make a game, until two 0-4 games to end the year.
KMJ is the type of player you find in the draft and trade before his first contract is over. His contract is a bargain and would be a get for many cap-strapped teams. He has 0 elite skills. He is short for a 4/5, slow for a wing, with a horrible wingspan. He is an average shooter and can jump, but defense needs major work. Tate is in the same category, but is ahead of KMJ on the depth chart. I would also play Eason and Garuba over KMJ, unless you're slotting KMJ as a guard, but we can way too many guards as well.
My opinion of him has gone a bit higher. I've never thought of him as a bad player. He just couldn't find a solid place on this team because his position is kind of crowded with other guys. He's fighting for PT against Tate, Christopher, Eason, Gordon, and Mathews. I expect Gordon to be traded and Mathews looks like he doesn't belong in the league. So it will be Tate, Eason, and Christopher. So it's 48 minutes at the 3 plus about 12 minutes behind Green (which mostly belongs to Christopher). Tate and Eason will probably play some back up 4 minutes. I expect Martin to average about 20 mpg, pretty much the same as before. That's pretty good for a rotation guy off the bench. If he doesn't like it, he will be shipped. If his 3pt shot can consistently stay at the high 30s, and if he improves on his defense, he can have a bigger role. I think he is one of the best cutters on our team. Last season, he's the one who benefited the most from Sengun's passes because he seemed to know when to dive to the basket while the other guys just stood there.
Garuba has little on KMJ except size. KMJ is better than him at basketball in every way except maybe passing.
H He did play in nearly every game last year at over 20 minutes per. I would say that is solidly in the rotation. I didn’t feel like he got enough minutes either, but I don’t think he was expected to get as much as he did when they signed him. Sometimes it takes a little bit of patience and a lot of fight to work your way in. I think he’s doing it.
Last year he was Good young trade chip ,along with others , for a young rotational guy ( backup PG, etc)... But this year, he's stepped it up ...Now he's a Great young trade chip ,along with others, for a proven borderline allstar next offseason...
