Memphis Grizzlies Summer League Review: Jarell Martin
The Memphis Grizzlies had a quite successful Summer League, after finishing 5-1 and playing in the semifinals. How did big man Jarell Martin play?
This Summer League was important for Jarell Martin’s development and his future in the NBA. With Zach Randolph and JaMychal Green entering the free agency, now is the time for Martin to prove that he’s ready for big-boy minutes. However, in Summer League, he failed to beat the challenge. In fact, it only highlighted the Grizzlies’ need for a starting power forward (Get on the phone with JaMychal Green now).
Entering his third season in the NBA, Martin has more experience than just about everybody in the Summer League, but he didn’t play like it. He didn’t do anything to stand out, something regular NBA players are supposed to do in weaker competition.
His rebounding wasn’t spectacular, in fact it wasn’t good for a veteran big man. If you want an idea of how bad it was, Wade Baldwin (6.3) averaged more rebounds than Martin (5.3), and he’s a point guard.
In addition, he couldn’t score the ball that well either. He averaged 11.5 points on a paltry 37.7 percent from the field. NBA big men don’t shoot that poorly from the field, plain and simple. Martin didn’t post anyone up well. He relied on mid-range and outside shots, and they just weren’t falling for him.
Finally, he just didn’t do anything worthwhile; he was just average or below in every facet of the game. As mentioned before, his rebound was mediocre, and his scoring was meh. His defense wasn’t really good either. While he generated some steals (1.2 a game), he fouled way too often. In addition, he didn’t flash any playmaking skills. In today’s NBA, you can’t be just average at everything. There has to be something you excel at, and Martin needs to find a skill that keeps him on the court.
Looking Ahead
Hopefully, it was just a bad two-week stretch, and he can bounce back to become a rotation player. However, he still doesn’t look ready for regular NBA minutes, a bad sign for a third-year player drafted in the first round. Granted, I’m a firm believer of player development, but at this point, first-round picks should at least be in the rotation.
With the Memphis Grizzlies roster at 16 – not including JaMychal Green and Ivan Rabb – they have some roster decisions to make. While Martin has the tools to be a solid NBA player, he must show his worth in training camp if he wants to stay on this roster.