NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball goes first in 2020 NBA Redraft
73. . Small Forward. Denver Nuggets. Kenyon Martin Jr.. 24. player
The Houston Rockets had a difficult season, from James Harden phoning in the beginning of the season to gargantuan losing streaks after he was traded. One bright spot was the play of their only draft pick in 2020, Kenyon Martin Jr.
Similar to his identically-monikered father, Martin Jr. is strongest on the defensive end of the court. He plays hard on defense and sprints into his rotations, and it’s possible he grows into a team’s wing stopper down the road.
The question will always be whether Martin Jr. can bring it on offense, and the early returns were positive. He shot 36.5 percent from deep, a somewhat welcome surprise, and if he can continue to grow as a shooter and ball-mover he might just end up as a low-end starter down the road.
The Denver Nuggets ended up trading the original pick here, R.J. Hampton, as part of the Aaron Gordon trade. If they don’t trade the pick this time around, Martin Jr. could fit into their wing rotation spanning the gap between Jamal Murray at the 1 and Michael Porter Jr. at the 4. With such offensive firepower around him, Martin Jr. could be deployed as a defensive option in a safer environment than he had with the Rockets.