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The start to the Philadelphia 76ers' season has been newsworthy, if nothing else. The emergence of rookie Jared McCain has been impactful. But Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid having missed a combined 32 games when the team has only played 20 has too.
The team signed Guerschon Yabusele to a one-year “prove-it” deal after he led France to an Olympic Silver medal. He is one of three 76ers that has played in all 20 games thus far, averaging 24.6 minutes per outing. Head coach Nick Nurse has had to look everywhere for help keeping the team afloat amidst injuries.
The numerous afflictions and maladies that have mired the Sixers as they've drudged their way to a 5-15 start are unfortunate. But they have given opportunities to players like Yabusele that may not have otherwise materialized.
Twenty-three-year-old KJ Martin is another 76er that has seen increased opportunity throughout the start of the season. And he's capitalizing on his chances to show Nurse that he deserves more minutes, even if the team is healthy.
The 76ers originally acquired Martin in the trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers just two games into the 2023-24 season. He played in 58 games for the team last season, averaging 12.3 minutes per contest. That's less playing time than he had gotten in any of his first four NBA seasons.
But the 76ers committed to Martin this past offseason with a two-year, $16 million deal. And he's averaged 18.2 minutes per contest in 17 games for Philadelphia this season. That isn't as high as any of his season averages from his time on the Rockets, but it's a six-minute increase from last season.
76ers should look to shake things up given 5-15 start
The presumptive starters next to the 76ers' stars going into the season were Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin, acquired in free agency. Oubre Jr. averaged 30.2 minutes per game last season as a starter for Philadelphia. But with Nic Batum, Buddy Hield, and P.J. Tucker on new teams, both Caleb and KJ Martin have had to replace what those role players produced last season.
Oubre Jr. has seen a slight uptick in minutes compared to last year. The stat sheet shows his overall struggles to start the season. Oubre Jr. has averaged 30.9 minutes per game, fourth-highest on the team, and is one of the two other 76ers players who have played in all of the team's first 20 games. His offensive-EPM rating of -1.6 is on track to be the second-lowest of his career, only above his lone season on the Warriors.
But Oubre Jr. has elevated his level of play recently. Over the 76ers' last eight games, he has taken fewer shots per game. And he actually increased his 3-point volume in that stretch. Oubre Jr. made 37.9% of his 4.8 3-point attempts per game, better than his season marks of 30.8% on 4.6 attempts.
So if Oubre Jr.'s struggles can be attributed to a shooting slump, it's reasonable to think the 76ers should continue to start him. In the case of Caleb Martin, however, KJ Martin has shown that if the 76ers want to shake things up, he's worthy of the starting nod. And Nurse made that exact change for Tuesday night's NBA Cup game against the Charlotte Hornets, which the 76ers won 110-104.
He stuck with the younger Martin for Wednesday night's game vs. the Orlando Magic, a close 106-102 loss for Philadelphia.
Including those two games, Caleb Martin has played the third most minutes per game on the 76ers this season. He has shot 40.5% from the floor and 29.4% from behind the 3-point arc. And he's steadily decreased his average turnovers per game in the six games he's played in of the the 76ers' last eight.
But despite playing 5.9 fewer minutes per game, the elder Martin shot 32.3% from the floor in that time. And his 22.2 3-point percentage also dragged down his numbers from distance. The 76ers have only won three of their last seven games and Martin is not the only contributor to those struggles. The health of the team's three stars will determine whether or not the team makes the postseason.
But could, even if only temporarily, sticking with KJ Martin in the starting lineup help them turn things around for now?
KJ Martin is showing Nick Nurse, 76ers why he deserves more playing time
Whether it happened as a reward for consistently good play, Paul George's injury problems, a combination of both, or any other factors, KJ Martin has seen an increase in playing time over the last couple of weeks. He's played 17 of the team's 20 games thus far and averages the 10th most minutes per game, playing 18.2. But over the team's last six games, Martin has averaged 24.2 minutes played.
And he's making it worth Nurse's time (no pun intended). Martin has been taking fewer 3-pointers and focusing more on the infectiously high-energy plays that have become his signature. Watch him make playmaking easy for McCain by setting an off-ball screen to free the rookie up. He then slips the screen and finishes through Jalen Suggs, and-one.
Of the three players, Oubre Jr. has the highest offensive-EPM, per dunksandthrees.com. His rating of -1.6 doesn't inspire much confidence on paper in the team's ability to withstand more absences from its stars. But his recent improvement is visible on the stat sheet and on the film, where he looks more defensively engaged and is making notably more shots. KJ Martin's -1.7 O-EPM rating thus far is worse than his, but not by much. And Caleb Martin's -3.3 rating is in the 10th percentile of all NBA players and on track to be the worst of his career.
Caleb Martin's primary impact comes on the defensive end of the floor, where he impacted games positively for several seasons as a member of the Heat. But the difference in offensive impact between the two Martins raises the question of whether or not it would be worth continuing to start KJ. If neither player is going to shoot the ball well, KJ's “energy big” style of play is a better fit to complement the team's offensive talent.
Whether it's Maxey, George, Embiid, or McCain running the team's offense on any given night, Martin can serve as a play-finisher. Especially with Oubre Jr. seemingly back on track from deep, Martin's 66.7 true-shooting percentage would be the best of his career over a full season. And Caleb Martin's 49.4 TS% is more statistical evidence of his early struggles.
It's certainly understandable for a player who signed 1,200 miles away from the team they spent three years with to need an adjustment period. But at 5-15, the 76ers are almost a quarter of the way into their season. And whether Embiid returns to the court soon or not, wins need to start coming if the playoffs are going to remain a possibility.
Continuing to start KJ Martin gives the 76ers the best chance possible to win games, regardless of who's on the injury report.
