Weighing the pros and cons of Rockets’ draftee Kenyon Martin Jr.

On Wednesday night the Houston Rockets traded up to select forward Kenyon Martin Jr. in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Houston Rockets entered Wednesday night’s 2020 NBA Draft with the 16th pick in the first round, which they acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for forward Robert Covington. The Rockets appeared to be on the cusp of using their first opening round draft pick since 2015, which was used to select Sam Dekker.

Rockets fans were excited, as the Rockets figured to be in position to land a plethora of good prospects, which isn’t often the case with non-lottery picks in the NBA Draft. But in spite of the excitement by the fanbase, the Rockets wound up not selecting anyone in the first round, as they traded their newly acquired draft pick along with Trevor Ariza to the Detroit Pistons.

Although this transaction left the Rockets without a draft pick for the remainder of the 2020 NBA Draft, they managed to acquire another pick in the second round, due to a trade that was executed by Rockets general manager Rafael Stone.

Source: Rockets traded the Lakers' 2021 second-rounder (bought from Detroit for $4.6M) and an extra $1M to acquire the No. 52 overall pick used to select Kenyon Martin Jr. https://t.co/sYt5oj9AxX

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 19, 2020

The Rockets ultimately acquired the 52nd overall pick from the Sacramento Kings, and used it to land Kenyon Martin Jr., who is the son of former 15-year NBA veteran Kenyon Martin, who was also the first overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. Although not many would be excited about a second-round selection, the Rockets have struck gold on second-round picks in the past, such as Dillon Brooks, Montrezl Harrell, and Chandler Parsons.

With Martin now being the latest second-round pick for Rockets, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of his game.

Next: Areas of concern for KJ

Areas of concern for Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr.

Martin was initially committed to Vanderbilt University, as he was bound to play for former NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse. Martin could’ve used the collegiate experience, as he was originally just a three-star prospect coming out of high school, where he starred at Sierra Canyon High, which isn’t great considering how the level of competition he faced wasn’t equal to that of the top collegiate conferences.

During the 2018-19 season, Martin was listed as the 48th-best prep player at his position nationally and the 24th-best player in the state of California, posting averages of 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Martin opted to attend the IMG Academy for the 2019-20 season, posting averages of 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Martin made just 67 percent of his free throws in 2019-20, which could be reminiscent of former Houston Rockets big men Clint Capela and Dwight Howard. Martin will certainly need to improve upon his free throw percentage, as it could prove to be difficult for him to land playing time during pivotal moments if he can’t be relied upon to capitalize on his attempts from the charity stripe.

Martin also figures to be a tad bit undersized for an NBA power forward, as he stands 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 215 pounds. The Rockets are rumored to not be as interested in playing small ball as they were during the 2019-20 season, as new coach Stephen Silas made it known that he’d like a traditional center/big man.

It would be an understatement to say that Martin could have benefited from playing a year in college, but in spite of the concerns regarding his game, Martin is just 19-years-old and has plenty of room to improve, and especially under Silas, who is known to be a development specialist.

Next: Strengths of KJ

Strengths of Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr.

Although Martin has high expectations to live up to, as he shares his father’s name, he’s sought to create a name for himself, as opposed to living under the moniker of “Kenyon Martin’s son.” KJ is a high-flyer in his own right, as he boasts a 45-inch vertical, which has allowed him to fly over opponents, making him unstoppable from getting easy finishes at the rim.

In addition, Martin flashed as a capable shooter, as he made 35 percent of his threes during his lone season post-high school, which figures to bode well for him, playing alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who the team has made it known that they plan on keeping, in spite of their trade requests. Martin has a wingspan of 6-foot-7, which has allowed him to be a plus defender and contest shots at the rim.

Martin’s youth and elite athleticism would also make for a stellar lob threat. This has proven to be successful for Harden over the years, and was a missing ingredient for the Rockets after they dealt Capela. Martin also figures to make for a great roll man, off of the pick-and-roll action, and his ability to run the floor could create more fastbreak opportunities for himself, and especially considering his ability to run the floor.

Although Martin is likely to spend the bulk of his time in the Rockets’ G-League-affiliate Rio Grande Vipers, he could provide value to the Rockets, so long as he’s able to blossom quickly and overcome the learning curve.