Butler Basketball: NBA Draft profile of scoring machine Kelan Martin

Weaknesses

Age compared to peers

In terms of Martin’s NBA Draft stock, the biggest issue is his age. Unlike several other college players in the draft pool, Martin played all four years in college. Already 22-years-old, Martin is seen as the most polished he will ever be. However, the counterpoint to this is the massive amount of improvement he made between his junior and senior seasons. With an offseason under his belt working with Joey Burton, a notable trainer in the Indianapolis area, there is no reason to believe he cannot make another big jump.

Creating for teammates

On the offensive end, Martin is still not an incredibly good playmaker. As I mentioned earlier, he is definitely improving in this facet of his game but he has a fair amount of learning to do in that regard. At the NBA level, he will have a more difficult time attacking the basket because he lacks an elite first step. Because of this, he will have to find different ways to create shots for teammates other than the drive-and-kick method.

Defensive playmaking

Martin is defensively sound, especially while working within a team dynamic, but needs to create more turnovers. He averaged just 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game this past season. His impressive length measured at the PIT shows that Martin has the potential to be an above-average defender at the next level. He will not have to be as assertive on the offensive end in the NBA as he was in college, meaning that he will have more energy for defense. Defensive playmaking is a weakness for Martin now but it does not have to stay that way.

Athleticism

In regards to his play on both ends of the floor, Martin is slightly less athletic than his counterparts in the draft pool. He has the right size and length to play at the next level but it not an impressive leaper nor is he remarkably quick. As he continues to work throughout the offseason, Martin will maximize his athletic capabilities.