Kevin Garnett: 36 FG%, 6.5 PPG, 1.9 APG, 7.5 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 1.3 TPG, 22.7 MPG
Kenyon Martin: 53 FG%, 3.7 PPG, 1.7 APG, 4.3 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 0.4 TPG, 17.9 MPG
Based on how their seasons have gone thus far, it might be a fairer contest if the two NBA veterans teamed up together to take down those hooligans on their front lawn; there’s thirty-three years of professional basketball experience between Garnett & Martin, and the 2013 season has not been generous to them thus far.
Originally shaping their careers on huge dunks and emphatic blocks, the duo have slowed their games down to a crawl. No longer their team’s top offensive options, Garnett and Martin are instead lauded for vocality, fearsome defense, and veteran leadership.
But Garnett has been missing -— assignments, rotations, and jump shots as achy limbs have taken their toll. Currently, he’s shooting 36% from the field, a career worst by almost 10%, so Martin will likely give him space for jumpers, hoping to goad him into a shot he can’t make consistently right now. Meanwhile, Martin’s role in New York has grown with injuries to Tyson Chandler and the undesirable quality of playing Andrea Bargnani 40 minutes a night.
Like Garnett, Martin’s averages are nothing to write home about. Other than blocking three shots in 17 minutes against New Orleans on December 1st, he’s been quiet on the production front.
This season, Garnett has been tasked with guarding much quicker players, so a match-up against Kenyon Martin may be exactly what he needs. Martin won’t do anything tricky and freakishly athletic anymore, and Martin isn’t much for Garnett to contain, so there’s potential here for Garnett to right his own ship.
EDGE:
| Next: Andrea Bargnani vs. Brook Lopez |
Full Matchup Breakdown:
