SEC: When Did Jarell Martin Become LSU’s Best Player?

In an interview with Randy Rosetta of The Times-Picayune, LSU’s forward Jarell Martin said this:

“They walked into our home and beat us, so it was a must that we come into their home and beat them.”

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Martin said these words after he had his 12th double-double of the season finishing with 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting, 12 rebounds, one assist, and two steals to help lead LSU to an easy 84-61 win over Auburn. It was LSU’s first win at Auburn since 2012.

That quote above? That’s the competitive mentality that any team’s best player should have.

Remember about two months ago when I declared that Jarell Martin was the best player in the SEC? Well since those two months, the question is who’s going to disagree now?

As much as I enjoy watching LSU’s other star player, Jordan Mickey (who’s a star in his own right), play, over the last two weeks the player who’s been most impactful for LSU is none other than Martin.

On another note: Did you know that Jordan Mickey is only one of two players in LSU’s history that has blocked more than 100 shots in two straight seasons? The other player is the future Hall of Fame center, Shaquille O’Neal.

As for Martin, he’s well on his way to becoming a household name in college basketball and it’s well deserved.

There are some people who are skeptical and don’t want to believe that Martin’s game is for real. However, those same people need to get reminded that when Martin was in high school playing for Madison Prep in Baton Rouge, La., that he was a McDonald’s All-American in 2013.

Some of the other players that played in that McDonald’s game were Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, and James Young, all of which play in the NBA.

It might have taken a year to get acclimated to the college basketball game, but Martin is showing that he’s ready to take the next step in his game.

Seven to a Lucky Five

At 6’10”, 235 pounds, Martin’s a matchup nightmare for most people in college basketball.

Because of Martin’s skill set as a basketball player he has the ability to handle the basketball, shoot the basketball and he defends and rebounds extremely well for his size. Simply put, he has a game that most people at his size don’t have.

The glory of Martin’s game is that unlike players who are 6’10” that traditionally stand in the post, Martin uses the whole court as his canvas, and when he plays it’s similar to poetry in motion.

The scene that I think of when smaller opponents attempt to guard Martin reminds me of the movie He Got Game. In the movie, Ray Allen’s character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, plays one-on-one with his father, and it’s not even fair.

The two go at it, but Allen’s character gets the best of his father and during the game starts to taunt him.

Jesus: What you want, the jump shot, dunk, what, huh? Bottoms.
*As Jesus’ shoots the jump shot and nails it*
Jake: What’s that?
Jesus: Seven to a lucky five.

Most opponents get the same treatment from Martin.

Even though he’s not brash like Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, or modest like Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, Martin has an air of confidence when he steps on the court because he knows on any given night he can have his way with anyone who’s guarding him.

In an interview with Ron Higgins of The Times-Picayune, Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan said this about Martin:

“We don’t have anyone who can handle him one-on-one. We never have and never will. There’s very few guys in the country where you can throw them the ball any spot on the floor and he can create a play for himself.”

Trying to stop Martin is like attempting to stop a moving train from hitting you. In other words, it can’t be done.

Stomping with the Big Dogs

During his freshman season Martin began his college basketball career with a few obstacles included twisting his ankle in the season opener. In addition to injury, he had to deal with being shuffled in the lineup between the small forward and power forward position.

This season, Martin has found his correct position and has looked aggressive. He’s beginning to play like the player many expected him to become.

Martin is putting up awesome numbers across the board including averaging 16.5 points on nearly 51 percent shooting, 9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

His game has expanded and a lot of people are starting to pay attention to the way that Martin’s been playing this season.

Because of his super sophomore season, Martin has made the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award watch list and finds himself nominated with other great collegiate basketball players such as Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks, and Arkansas’ Bobby Portis.

Soon enough, Martin’s going to start stomping with the big dogs.

Because of Martin’s game he finds himself already stomping with the big dogs in college basketball. It’s difficult to find another forward better in the game than him.

LSU has two of the best players in college basketball on their team, and best believe that Martin is one of them.

Next: SEC: Is Ole Miss Going To Shock Us All In The 2015 NCAA Tournament?

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