Martell seems like a player that not a lot of us have been talking about this summer. Just got off the phone with my boy that was down there working today and bumped into him. He talked to him for a minute and told me he looks amazing. He said he is cut! Looks like he's in better shape and has put on some muscle. It sounds like conditioning won't be a problem with this team.
I would love Martell to be the guy we need to start at the 3. He's got the physical tools to do it. If he can become that pesky perimeter defender like Bowen became later in his career, we could become a serious contender for the division title.
I would love to see Martell become a more consistent, serious threat both offensively (driving and finishing as well as a consistent outside shot) and defensively. He has improved each year and has shown better defense and rebounding capabilities. If he develops a bit more, OOZA, watch out league - who ya gonna sluff off on defense - no-one! Gramps...
I'd love to see Webs have a breakout year. He certainly has all the tools, he just needs to work on his head. It frustrates me how he disappears during games. When he's not getting the ball, he needs to find a way to contribute.
Read somewhere the other day that that is exactly what he has been doing, working on his "consistency" with someone - that he has not revealed. Having had a rather chaotic background it stands to reason his confidence may suffer. Hope this is true! g
I don't think Martell's problem has ever been physical, per se. It's always been about what's going on between the ears.
I think that Webster's physical maturity is really going to help him. He is never going to out-quick his opponents, so he needs to get stronger and be able to hold up to physical play better. Given his lack of plus athleticism, I'm not at all surprised that he didn't succeed too well to this point and at his age. Hopefully he is in great physical shape and can shoot the ball in games the way he's always been able to outside of them. Ed O.
are we watching the same martell? i always thought he had great athleticism and he showed glimpses through out his career when he actually rebounds. he goes and gets them....maybe im wrong but i always felt he was pretty damn athletic
I think he's always been too heavy and not quick enough to overpower any wing players with his athleticism. It's why I was confident from day 1 he was going to end up as a small forward and why I think he has difficulty creating his own shot. Ed O.
He couldn't create his own shot because he couldn't dribble. Been saying it for couple of years the number one missing aspect of his game was being able to take the ball to the hole. If he can add that this year it will allow him a little more space to shoot, defenders won't be able to close in as quickly on him. I think he's a good athlete maybe a step to slow for shooting guards but a nice match up for Small forwards.
I think this is more correct. Martell has always had impressive sprint times and is noted as one of the quickest players on the team. He just hasn't been able to take the ball with him. Last year when they made him the lead scorer for that one game, he looked lightning fast coming of picks and moving without the ball. He just can't to that much with the ball--yet. About five times last year you would see him blow down the baseline for a nice dunk. If he had a decent handle he could get that off the pump fake whenever he wants.
