When Kevin Martin stepped on the floor, he had an air about him that just screamed he had to be checked.
Whether Martin was pulling up for a jumper or driving to the basket, his whereabouts regularly had to be known.
Martin played 12 NBA seasons, and three of them were with the Houston Rockets. During the first stint of his career, Martin made his name as quality shooter who could score with the Sacramento Kings. While with the Kings, he averaged 17.1 points per game and shot 38.6% from the 3-point line.
He played in Sacramento from his rookie season in 2004-05 until the middle of the 2009-10 season, when he was traded to the Rockets.
Though Martin was never an All-Star, he was a bucket getter throughout his career. Martin scored 17.4 points per game and shot 38.4% from the 3-point line during his career.
Some of his best years were in Houston, as he averaged 21.3 points per game and shot 36.4% from the 3-point line while with the franchise.
The video below shows one of Martin’s best performances as a Rocket. He scored 32 points in the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers, finishing with 40 points as the Rockets won, 110-95.
What made Martin a tough cover was that he could score in multiple ways. He was crafty in getting to the rim. He could move without the ball, and he could shoot off the dribble. Another one of his best assets was his catch-and-shoot ability. With his release fluid, Martin flinged 1,141 3-pointers into the hoop during his career — 285 of those threes came with the Rockets.
Martin had eight 40-point games during his career, with his magnum opus being his career-high, 50-point outburst coming during the 2008-09 season as a member of the Kings.
Easy 50 from Kevin Martin. (2009) pic.twitter.com/gMfbewA2iu
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) March 19, 2020
Retiring in 2016, Martin didn’t have an especially long career. When he was in the league, he had six seasons where he averaged at least 20.0 points a game.
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