Butler Basketball: Player profile of Bulldogs’ star Kelan Martin
After three successful seasons, Butler basketball’s Kelan Martin is back for his senior campaign under new head coach LaVall Jordan. How will he fare?
Entering this upcoming season, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Butler Bulldogs. They have a new head coach, they graduated a ton of talent, and have a relatively unproven roster. The Bulldogs, however, still have plenty of positives coming into 2017-18, and those start with star Kelan Martin.
Martin may have come off the bench for much of last season, but do not let that confuse you: Kelan Martin is a really good college basketball player.
As a freshman, Martin played 14.6 minutes per game for the Dawgs, averaging a modest 7.1 points per game to go with 2.1 rebounds on 41.2% from the field. In a larger role as a sophomore in 2015-16, Martin took that next step with his college game.
His minutes increased by nearly double, going to 28.3 minutes per game. In response to this increased role, Martin provided 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on 44.7% from the floor, an increase across all stats, including efficiency.
Although his junior season was not a major upgrade from his sophomore one, he showed that he can handle the responsibility of being a player that defenses consistently key in on. He struggled during the early portions of non-conference play with rushing possessions and forcing shots, but once he was relegated to a sixth man role, he thrived, reverting back to his usual standards.
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Martin finished his junior year averaging 16.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on 42.8% shooting. With that, he was able to carry the Bulldogs (along with help from several others) to a Sweet 16 berth before falling to the eventual National Champions in the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Martin is best known across the country as a scorer. With his lengthy 6’6″ frame, he is difficult to cover on the perimeter. Although not a “lights-out” shooter, Kelan knocked down almost two three-pointers per game a season ago on just under 35%. He is a versatile scorer. He can get the hot hand and spray buckets in a hurry, he can shoot it from deep, mid-range, and attack the basket through traffic.
In addition to scoring from anywhere, the great thing about Martin is that he can get his shot as well. His size allows him to create mismatches during a lot of possessions. With this, he can either drive to the hoop or shoot over his defender.
With his ability to get buckets, though, Martin has been underrated on the defensive end of the floor throughout his career. His length makes getting past him difficult, and he is willing to contribute on defense. These two-way abilities are what make Martin such a special player, one who is one of the best players in the Big East conference.
Next: What to expect from Butler's 2017 recruiting class
Overall, Kelan Martin is the type of player that will keep Butler near the top of the Big East during the 2017-18 season. He is a strong scorer and defender who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win, whether that means he is starting or coming off of the bench, having done both in 2016-17. This season could prove to the best yet for Martin as he becomes the true go-to-guy for the Bulldogs.