#6 Kenyon Martin
Player File
Kenyon Martin is a 6' 9" forward
from Cincinnati ('00) beginning his 3rd season in the NBA, all of them
as a Net.
Birthday:
December 30, 1977
Birthplace:
Saginaw, MI
High School:
Bryan Adams, Dallas, TX
Drafted:
1st overall in the 2000 Draft, by New Jersey.
Contract: Signed through the 2003 - 2004
season.
2001 - 2002 Regular Season Stats:
Games Played:
73
Minutes PG:
34.3
Points PG:
14.9
PCT: .463
Free Throw PCT:
.678
Rebounds PG:
5.3 (a 2.1 drop-off from his first season).
Assists PG:
2.6
Blocks PG:
1.66 (identical to his first season)
Steals PG:
1.23
Turnovers PG:
2.36
Nicknames:
It's tired, but most have settled for the easy and obvious "KMart."
Others our readers have come up with are "Grand Kenyon" and
the "Shock Jock." Here's
more.
Known For: Aggression and attitude, serious leaping ability, inside scoring ability, physical defensive presence and shot blocking ability, footspeed, those damned flagrant fouls.
The Real Deal: Martin showed last season that he was worthy of being the number one pick overall in 2000. Always a presence in the Nets lineup, he brings a rare combination of athletic ability and pure physical and mental toughness game in and game out. Has the ability to put the ball in the hole inside and is great sweeping the glass when he asked to do so. And defensively, he might be even more valuable, often taking the opposing team's best scorer. Watching him catch players from behind to block their shot is a joy to behold. But he needs to get his anger in check and avoid any more of those stupid flagrant fouls before they permanently scar his reputation.
Joe's Take: Kenyon's moving to power forward to take advantage of his tremendous physical ability and allow Jefferson to move into the starting lineup. How he fares with that move is likely one of the keys to the Nets season. Martin is the "straw that stirs the drink" as far as the Nets' aggressive attitude is concerned, setting the tone with his warrior-like play and take-no-prisoners defensive style. He'll be expected to score more from inside, no longer roaming the perimeter, and hopefully avoiding settling so often for his still weak outside shot. Another of Jason Kidd's running (and jamming) partners, K-Mart likely will be expected to score more often, rebound more often, and generally cause havoc all over the court. Keep away from the flagrant fouls without losing the aggressiveness, show your power forward moves and score some points, make the highlight reels for jams, putbacks and rejections, and you may be looking at an All-Star invite, Kenyon.
Champagne's Take: My favorite Net bar one – Jason Kidd. Although it's hard to even count Kidd, he's such an established super star now...he's everybody's favorite. Anyway, I believe that Kenyon Martin will eventually go down as one of the best forwards to play the game. That's how much I like him. It's not just his skills, which will only get better, it's his baseline rage to win. That's always been there. Before Kidd came to the rescue, Martin was here, the first solid and undeniable evidence that the Loser Culture of the Nets was changing. How could you ask Kenyon to contain his disgust with Keith? Being anti-Jet-Puffed Van Horn is in his blood, but unlike Stephon Marbury, who shared similar feelings, Martin plays team ball. I even don't care much about his flagrant fouls. I'd forgive Kenyon almost anything. It's true: Martin is to Champagne what Latrell Sprewell is (or was?) to Nicky Knicksfan. A reason for fans with aggression/masculinity issues to stand proud! (Pity your pal Champagne: nobody looks at a blond man and thinks "Bad Ass Yellow Boy"). I'd wear #6 Nets Underoos if I could get away with it.
Kenyon Martin's stats and bio: click here.
2002 - 2003 Nets Roster
Brandon Armstrong - G
Chris Childs - G
Jason Collins - C
Lucious Harris - G
Richard Jefferson - F
Anthony Johnson - G
Jason Kidd - PG
Kerry Kittles - G
Kenyon Martin - F
Dikembe Mutombo - C
Rodney Rogers - F
Brian Scalabrine - F
Tamar Slay - G
Aaron Williams - PF/C
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