Hornets rookie Cody Martin is building an NBA career on things others don’t want to do
Charlotte Hornets rookie Cody Martin saw immediately that if you defend, NBA coaches will find you minutes, regardless of your limitations.
The veterans respect that. Center Bismack Biyombo called it Kawhi Leonard-like.
“A perfect example was Kawhi; Kawhi, when he came in, was always energetic and playing defense. As he got minutes, he evolved into more of an offensive player,” Biyombo described.
“For all of us, that’s what they first tell us: ‘You’ve got to bring the defense! You’ve got to bring the energy!’ ”
Martin didn’t make the instant impact the way fellow Hornets rookie P.J. Washington did, starting his first NBA game. But for a second-round pick (36th overall out of Nevada), the 6-foot-5 Martin has been very useful: He’s played in 31 of 46 games, logging 20 or more minutes in 10 of those.
He still isn’t much of a shooter — just 39 percent from the field entering Tuesday — but he’s already elite in one NBA category: He’s seventh in charges drawn with 12.
“That’s an NBA skill,” said Martin, who is from Mocksville. “It contributes to winning, and I know I’ll have a place.
“I do things a lot of people around this league don’t want to do — things that aren’t on the stat sheets, like charges and deflections. And communication on defense and offense. Always knowing what I’m (supposed to be) doing.”
Sporadic minutes
Martin is 27th among NBA rookies in minutes played this season (443 entering Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks), but they’ve been sporadic. There was an eight-game span in December when he averaged 23 minutes, but also nine games this season when he was on the active roster, yet didn’t play at all.
Hornets coach James Borrego said before training camp he would lean toward young players, but wouldn’t ignore veterans who deserve to play. He’s been consistent in applying that approach.
Borrego said his philosophy on player-development is young guys should be wherever they have the best chance for steady minutes — Charlotte, if they are at least somewhat in the rotation, but otherwise in Greensboro with the G-League Swarm.
The only young player who doesn’t fall clearly on one side or the other of that line is Martin; he was with the Swarm for three games in late November, but otherwise has been with the Hornets.
Nurturing young players on an NBA schedule is difficult; teams don’t practice a lot in-season, and when they do, it’s often more video study and teaching than heavy full-court scrimmaging. Coaches must save veterans’ legs for the games.
Martin has tried to mitigate uncertain minutes by making everything else about his daily routine as standard as possible.
“When you’re on the road, it’s hard to get (practice) reps in. You’re never practicing consistently, particularly with back-to-backs” i.e. games on consecutive nights, Martin said. “A consistent routine involves sleeping, what you’re eating, taking naps.”
That routine includes extra workouts beyond practice. Martin typically does that with assistant coaches in Charlotte, but Saturday, when he drove to Greensboro to watch twin brother Caleb play with the Swarm, he stopped by UNC-Greensboro for a shooting session.
Self-assessment
The Hornets don’t have a strong track record with second-round picks, but recent results — starting point guard Devonte Graham and Martin — suggest improvement under general manager Mitch Kupchak, who’s in his second season.
Martin said he keeps a level head by not concerning himself with what’s beyond his control.
“You really don’t know if you’re going to play or not” on a given night, Martin said. “I might play 20-plus minutes, I might not play at all. So it’s just about staying ready. Honestly (that unknown) has made me stay ready.”
Progressing in the NBA is constant self-assessment, but Martin is approaching a key phase of that. Former Hornets great Kemba Walker said the summer after his rookie year was the most important offseason of his career. Graham, particularly in 3-point shooting, made huge strides in that span.
What does Martin see for his upcoming offseason?
“The biggest thing is extending my range (he’s made just 8 of 41 3-point attempts). I’m working on it. I’m confident when I’m shooting in practice. I just need now to translate that to games,” he described.
“You might shoot 300 3s in practice. But that one you get to take in a game? You’ve got to make sure that one is sharp.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 3:47 PM.
