After starting the season struggling with his shooting, Atlanta Hawks second-round draft pick Tyrese Martins has shown some good development signs lately. The College Park Skyhawks have started this season on a more positive note than the last one, going 3-3 in the first six games.
Despite the Skyhawks losing the first game of their season series against the Westchester Knicks, Martin displayed some more of his potential. He collected his first professional double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes.
This was the first time that former Skyhawks player DaQuan Jeffries returned to play his former team. However, it was Knicks forward Feron Hunt who dominated the game with 29 points and 12 rebounds which made the difference in the game. Two-way player Jarrett Culver was the Skyhawks’ best player on the night.
Why the Atlanta Hawks will be happy with the game by Tyrese Martin.
It was not until deep into the Las Vegas Summer League that Martin showed that he had what it took to get an NBA contract. In fact, it was one quarter in Summer League which would have had the Hawks front office and coaching staff sit up and pay attention.
He has struggled to start the G League season but is gradually finding his feet. This double-double showed that he is getting to a point where he is developing a better shot selection. He went 5-of-11 from the floor and only attempted one shot from beyond the arc. He missed that shot so this means that he went 5-of-10 from inside the arc.
Martin also showed that he has a good nose for the ball when it comes to collecting the defensive rebound. He had ten rebounds on that end of the floor. He worked well with the rest of the team on the defensive end of the court for the first half but it was his man who bought the Knicks back into the game in the final period before they ground out the win.
If Martin is going to be considered for much time with the varsity squad this season he has to show that he is capable of stopping a G-League forward. While Hunt is a two-way player with the Knicks, Martin is on a full contract with the Hawks so needs to show why he deserves this deal.
Still, the positive of this is that Martin showed that he is on an upward trajectory in terms of his development and this will only benefit the franchise in the long term.