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Charlotte Hornets rookie Caleb Martin showed the organization some promise prior to the NBA season shutting down and owes that brief success to playing in the G League.
Martin, who went undrafted out of Nevada last year, spent the first three months of the season in the G League with the Greensboro Swarm. Martin led the Swarm in scoring, averaging 21.3 points, six rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 28 appearances.
Martin managed to parlay his success in the G League into a larger role with the Hornets. Once the Hornets traded Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, minutes opened up for Martin, and his twin brother Cody, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Prior to the season shutdown, Martin turned in his best stretch of the year after scoring a career-high 23 points on March 9 and then 19 points the next game. In an interview with Sam Perley of Hornets.com, Martin praised his time in the G League for staying ready.
The biggest thing I look at is just how much the game has slowed down for me. It’s a credit to the G League and the Greensboro Swarm that helped me out a lot with that. They really took the time to teach me about the game, the pace, different reads and overall molded my game so I could be ready to contribute in Charlotte.
Players have often commended the G League as an avenue to improve their overall game as Martin falls into a long line of guys that benefitted from some time in the minor league.
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