The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to dealing with injuries, meaning anyone can be called upon to step up in the regular season.
23-year-old forward KJ Martin is one of these players lower on Philadelphia's depth chart but could shine given the right opportunity. Sixers coach Nick Nurse expressed Monday night that Martin is one player that "pleasantly surprised" him throughout training camp.
"Listen, he's had a really good camp. Again, one of the guys I was pleasantly surprised with in camp," Nurse shared. "So let's just see how that carries over."
Martin has spent just half a season with the 76ers, where he averaged 3.7 points on 54.4% shooting in 58 appearances. The front office either believes in his potential or hopes to move him at the trade deadline, as Martin signed a two-year, $16 million contract extension this offseason.
"He has done a lot of things that he's always done: rebound, run, jump at the rim, put-backs, transition," Nurse said. "He has made more shots. He had a big summer working on his shooting. He reconstructed some things. It looks better, and it’s going in a lot more.”
The Sixers open up their preseason Monday against the New Zealand Breakers, where Martin could see a solid workload. Typically, stars do not exceed more than 25 minutes in the preseason, paving the way for players down the depth chart to find action.
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