High-flying Jaylen Martin is well-grounded, thanks to Charlie Ward
LAS VEGAS
Early in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' Las Vegas Summer League opener Saturday, Jaylen Martin knifed through the Philadelphia defense and threw down a resounding righthanded dunk, prompting a wave of oohs and aahs from the sellout crowd.
He had prepared for this moment, mentored by his high school coach, former Knicks point guard Charlie Ward. Of course, in Ward’s pro career, he was a heady floor general. Martin certainly didn’t learn the high-flying acrobatics from Ward’s fundamentally sound game.
The play opened eyes in an otherwise nondescript game for the Knicks' Summer League squad, which is stocked with players unlikely to make the roster when the regular season begins.
Martin was undrafted after going directly from high school in Florida to playing two seasons for Overtime Elite — a pay-for-play league. He entered the draft this year but never heard his name, partly because of a hamstring injury that cost him nearly two months of playing time. The Knicks then signed him to a two-way contract immediately after the draft, likely meaning he will spend much of the season with Westchester of the G League.
In this first test, he scored 12 points in 26 minutes as the Knicks fell, 110-101.
“I mean, the competition is clearly better,” he said of playing his first game against NBA-level competition. “Just coming in learning, doing the small stuff to make the transition easier.
“I feel like as the game was going on, I loosened up and was able to play my game. Just get comfortable on the court.”
“He did some good things and some things he needs to work on,” said Knicks assistant coach Dice Yoshimoto, who is serving as the Summer League coach. “Anybody coming in this league either from college or OTE is that he has to learn how to be a pro. Over the course, since that draft, he’s done that. He’s been in the gym all day. He’s a gym rat. He wants to learn. He wants to get better. Sky is the limit for him. He’s got to continue to stay with it, focus on the daily imrprovement and he’ll get better at it.”
Martin not only spent three years playing for Ward at Florida High School but has remained in contact with him, taking advice from someone who has been there.
“He’s a great role model,” Martin said. “We talk day by day, explaining how the league works and what to expect, not to get too low or too high. He’s been there in the exact position I want to be in. Just great to learn from him.”
The Knicks have Martin on a two-way contract right now and Trevor Keels and Duane Washington Jr. with two-way contract qualifying offers. Keels, the lone player on the roster drafted by the Knicks, struggled through a 1-for-6 shooting performance. Keels, selected in the second round of the 2022 draft, spent much of his rookie season with Westchester, appearing in only three games for the Knicks.
DaQuan Jeffries had 20 points but sat out the fourth quarter after suffering a right hip contusion in the third quarter. He is listed as day-to-day. The Knicks are a man short with Race Thompson not joining them because of a sore knee.
Voice of reason
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar changed the game. The NCAA actually changed its rules to try to slow him down, banning the dunk. So there might have been no better person to judge the start of the Victor Wembanyama era — and Abdul-Jabbar had a front-row seat to watch as the Spurs played Friday night.
He then went on SiriusXM NBA Radio at halftime with Justin Termine and Jason Jackson to deliver his scouting report.
“He’s got a lot to learn as far as the way the game is played in the NBA,” he said. “All the rookies got to go through that. He seems like he has the physical skills. Kind of slender guy. But there’s room for all types of bodies out there. He just has to find his niche and contribute and he’ll be around for a while.
“How old is he? 19. Really hasn’t matured yet. What he might go through this next year or two will probably give him that type of maturity and enable him to understand our game, the way it’s played, and make whatever physical adjustments he can make. We all have to make those adjustments.”
Wembanyama struggled in this first test, shooting 2-for-13 from the floor and turning the ball over three times (according to the boxscore; there may have been a few more that were not recorded). Perhaps it was no coincidence that Gregg Popovich signed a five-year contract extension Saturday — either a sign that he’s all in on the Wembanyama era or maybe that he knows it won’t happen overnight. But Abdul-Jabbar was dismissive of judging the rookie off this performance.
“Games like this are red meat for the junkies,” he said. “They can talk about and speculate about people who may not play a game in the NBA.They’ve seen them and learned about them and show what they know about the games. So it’s fun for the fans like that. Going to see who endures and see who is a lasting contributor to the mystique of the NBA.”
Wembanyama could change the game with his ballhandling ability at 7-5, and Abdul-Jabbar wishes he had the chance to play the game this way.
“I’m jealous,” he said. “I could have done that. I would have liked to try it. Like the young man in Milwaukee, [Giannis] Antetokounmpo, he taught himself how to play. He figured it out pretty good, didn’t he? He’s 6-11 and he brings the ball up. I see that and say I was overcoached.
"I can’t complain. I had my time on the stage and I’m thankful. The good Lord blessed me like that. I’ll take my time and pass on.
“When I was learning the game, they didn’t have a three-point shot. I think I could have brought the ball up and handled that pretty well. But you add that to hitting threes, that's great. I had one in my whole career.”
Proceed with caution
Wembanyama said he plans on playing again Sunday night, but the risks of Summer League were on display on opening night. Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and Amen Thompson, who was picked fourth, both suffered injuries.
Thompson is out for the remainder of the Summer League after suffering a Grade 2 sprained ankle Friday. Henderson was ruled out for the rest of the game Friday after suffering a right shoulder injury in the third quarter.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
