No. 36 pick: Cody Martin
The Charlotte Hornets did not have to wait long for their first pick of the second round, which came via the Atlanta Hawks (and a handful of other teams) in trade deals from 2018. With their second pick of the draft, the Hornets took a chance on Nevada prospect Cody Martin.
With Martin, the Hornets continued to add to their depth at the small forward/shooting guard position. But he does seem to offer an exciting skill-set for the Hornets.
According to The Ringer, he offers a lot of intangibles that could help out the Hornets after some seasoning to the rigors of the NBA, especially on the defensive end:
"“Experienced pick-and-roll playmaker with the vision to locate teammates … Solid spot-up shooter despite his funky mechanics; he thrives attacking closeouts since he can score at the rim or make clever passes … Good transition playmaker who throws accurate outlets, makes wise decisions, and hustles to get ahead of the defense … Competitive on-ball defender with long arms and a sturdy frame who can slide laterally against guards and wings; he stays locked in off the ball, makes smart rotations, and rebounds.”"
Martin has just 192 pounds on his 6’5″ frame, but that gives him the quickness to cover ground on the court and still be a bother to opponents. Like Washington, he’ll likely spend a lot of time Greensboro this season, and likely even next season.
36. Charlotte Hornets: SG Cody Martin - This is a reach. Martin is fun, but he's super streaky, has to grow throughout his game, and will be 24 years old when the season starts. #NBADraft #Hornets30
— Holden Walter-Warner (@hwalterwarner) June 21, 2019
Martin is a local product for the Hornets as well. He is from Mocksville, North Carolina, just a little over an hour north of Charlotte. He even played two years at North Carolina State before transferring to Nevada.
There are a lot of intangibles to like with Martin, but he faces a lot of developmental time, which probably isn’t a bad thing as deep as the Hornets are on the wings. Rotoworld pegs him as a defensive “specialist”, but nothing more than a cog in the wheel:
"“Intriguing prospect, boasting a 6’10” wingspan as a ball-handler. His calling card is defense but a lack of explosive athleticism and a questionable jumper could relegate him to being a role player.”"
He did average 4.9 assists per game last year, but there are questions as to how good he can be at the next level. Again, the Hornets went with a project pick at a position with a lot of depth already instead of taking a chance on someone like Bol Bol who was still there and could’ve had a more immediate impact.
Grade: C-