Former Nuggets, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith

Today I’m going to talk about two of the players who signed contracts in China, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, since they will probably be back first. Martin and Smith are both free agents and are free to sign with any team. Martin is considering 5 teams currently with the Clippers and the Heat at the top of his list. Regardless to which of the 5 teams he goes to, he will be a backup player. We’re looking at about 20-25 minutes a game, probably closer to 20. Looking at his numbers from last year, he averaged 25 minutes a game, 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.7 blocks on 51% shooting from the field. His numbers for the rest of the season, once he signs, should be a little lower than that. I think we can still expect about 6 rebounds but fewer points. The steals and blocks should stay around the same. I have not heard any rumors of where Smith could go, so that part is still a mystery, but I don’t think he will be a free agent for that long. Any team looking for a bench scorer will most likely be interested in signing him and since he’s been playing games he should be in pretty decent game shape. I wouldn’t expect him to get more than 25 minutes a game, which would put him around par for his career. Judging by his career numbers, I think we can expect stats similar to those from last year but possibly a bit higher. Last year he averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 3’s on 43.5% shooting. Those numbers are about par for his career numbers, except the rebounding. His career rebounding numbers are at 2.8 per game and he has only been over 3 per game the last 3 years. While this could show a new trend for him, I wouldn’t expect more than 3.2 a game.

                So is either of these players valuable for fantasy? Smith can be counted on to give you 3’s and steals, which are two of the lower scoring categories and so each added one is more valuable. Smith is also known to go off on his 3 point shooting and could be a big wildcard for your team come playoff time. I know he helped me a few years back where he went off for 5 3’s in a game. Martin, on the other hand, is the more consistent player.  While he won’t give you the 3’s he still averages almost a steal a game and will still give you rebounds.

If Smith can give you 4 rebounds a game he would be giving you help in the same categories as Martin and more. I would say take a chance on Smith. Plus it’s always more fun when J.R. is on your team because you never know what you’re going to get.