The Rockets' youngsters have played well in recent games, and in addition to Jaylen Green, Shinkin and Christopher, Ken Young Martin Jr., who came to the Rockets a year earlier than them, also seized the opportunity of Tate's absence due to injury, starting two consecutive games and scoring a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Lakers.
Martin Jr. has played in 63 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 20.6 minutes per game, averaging 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.4 steals per game, shooting 35.9% from three-point range. Although compared to last season's 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists, martin jr. has improved considering that the Rockets will focus on cultivating three rookies this year.
Fans who often watch the game know that Martin Jr., as the Rockets' second-round show last season, has an explosion of athleticism and physical fitness, and has a fighting spirit that does not accept defeat, and always goes all out whenever he plays. With outstanding bouncing power and speed, he hated the league's tall centers such as Gobert, Boban, Zubac, and Wiseman, and often staged chases and nail caps against small defenders, quickly opening up fame with tough defense.
But his flaws are also obvious. The first is the physical level, the height is 2.01 meters, the arm span is only 2.03 meters, the strength and confrontation are lacking, and the innate disadvantage makes him unable to become a stable defensive barrier; secondly, the technical level, as a forward player who can be three or four, the dribbling technique is insufficient, the three-point projection is not accurate enough, can only eat the cake and the second attack, the means are too single; the third is the psychological level, playing the downwind ball can be, the performance of the headwind ball is affected, the play is not stable enough, and sometimes the head is hot and the basket is strong. These problems are partly due to his young age and mental immaturity, and partly due to his lack of experience and lack of ability to read the game.
In recent races, Martin Jr. has clearly improved. The first is the three-point projection, taking advantage of the opponent's opportunity to empty him and decisively shoot three points. In the games against the Grizzlies and Lakers, both contributed important three-pointers, and once the confidence and training intensity came up, his shooting percentage would be higher and higher. The second is the offensive aspect, he has often staged a dragon fast attack recently, and the stability of the layup has also improved, except for the occasional brainless attack, other aspects are doing very well. The third is rebounding protection, paying more attention to the card position, rather than simply relying on bouncing to touch the high, which is also an important reason for his recent gratifying number of rebounds.
On March 12, Beijing time, the Rockets officially announced the execution of Martin Jr.'s contract for next season, with a contract amount of 1.78 million US dollars. This is not only an act of laying out the squad for the next season in advance, but also a high recognition of his personal performance. As a player born in 2001, Martin Jr. and Jaylen Green, Shen Jing, Christopher and Porter Jr. are all peers, in line with the team's future team building plan, several people can grow together, progress together, and enhance each other's tacit understanding. In time, it will surely become a combination that will make the rest of the league feel frightened.
Finally, the Houston Rockets' draft vision has always been good, and in history, they have not used high-level signs to select parallel goods, but they often use low-level signs to find treasures. Stone, as the new general manager, inherited this fine tradition, and these young people have their own characteristics, and next season they will use the top three draft picks to select an interior star, and the reconstruction will be completed immediately, I believe that next season's Rockets game will be more exciting!