Cartier Martin is headed to the nation's capital to replace the recently released Alonzo Gee according to Washington Wizards beat writer Michael Lee.
Martin, a 25-year-old wing out of Kansas State, is probably the most complete/ready replacement for Gee in the D-League and thus a suitable replacement for Gee (even if he is without the Ridiculous Upside). The 6-foot-6 NBA veteran has played with the Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors over the past two seasons, but was currently averaging 21.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 54% from the field and 63% (25-of-40) from beyond the 3-point arc in nine game in March with the Iowa Energy, the top team in the D-League.
Wait. Yes, you read that right - in 40 attempts from the 3-point line this month, he was shooting better than 60%! He's also widely regarded as one of the better defenders in the D-League, something that should have had him on the tips of most GM's tongues when it came to wing players being considered for a call-up.
Just yesterday, after watching Martin's game against the Dakota Wizards, I stated the following:
Cartier Martin had 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added seven rebounds. In Friday's game, he had 30 points on 17 shots and added 10 rebounds. I'm considering this consistency, which is the only thing he's really been lacking in the D-League this season. Therefore, call him up.
There, I guess, is where the elephant in the room comes along - consistency. In March, he had just as many sub-15 point games (3) as he did scoring 25 or more points. While this wasn't necessarily a career-long trend or anything to ultimately be worried about, it's not exactly easy to be called up from the D-League - all of the conditions have to be right and that was a problem that was visible just by looking at his season's game logs.
That was why in last week's version of the D-League Call-Up Rankings, the group had him ranked as the seventh best D-League prospect:
7. Cartier Martin, Iowa Energy (16.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 46% FG, 44% 3pt) - Really, I should have let Weinman do this write up since he was highest on Martin. Honestly, though, everyone but Weinman is probably underrating him. Consider as great as he is on defense (he's great) and as well as he sometimes scores and you have yourself a pretty good call-up. Unfortunately, he's not been very consistent on the offensive end - his point totals this month are 14, 37, 7, 19, 17, 26 and 12. Regardless, he puts forth a lot of effort and is known around the NBA (called up last season to Charlotte, this season to Golden State), meaning he's probably on the short list for a few teams if they need a wing from the D-League.
Offensively, Martin split his time in the D-League between spotting up and knocking shots down and creating off the dribble in isolation. While he's obviously a great shooter, his slashing has really come along as well - as far as wing's in the D-League, his offensive game is probably one of the more diverse.
Defenisely, well, I'll let Draft Express tell you from their scouting report on Martin in January:
he still showed a high energy level on the defensive end. He's not a shut down defender, but he plays within the team concept, shows active hands, and will put himself in harm's way to draw charges.
While that doesn't show to be a glowing recommendation, I think Martin's a little bit better defender than they're giving him credit.
Last thing that Wizards fans should know is that his name is pronounced Car-Tee-Ay, like the alcoholic beverage.
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