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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — You couldn't blame KJ Martin if he felt like he had just won a survivor pool.
The Utah Jazz made four trades in the week leading up to the trade deadline, acquiring six players as it picked up second-round pick after second-round pick. Of those new players, Martin is the only one sticking around.
So what can the 24-year-old forward bring to Utah?
"He's tough, physical, can guard, improved shooter," coach Will Hardy said. "He gives us some size of the wing, can guard a variety of different people, excited to have him."
To add to that, Martin flashes with his athleticism, leading to good rebound numbers and impressive rim finishes.
Oh, and some fun nicknames, too.
"Bounce Man!" Johnny Juzang said.
The two grew up in the San Fernando Valley and have often played and trained together.
"I've known KJ a long time, so it was really awesome," Juzang said. "I shot him a text once I saw it: 'Let's work. Let's get after it.' So I'm excited."
Juzang described Martin as someone who plays the game "super hard" and "leaves it all out there."
Martin has a few other connections with the Jazz, too. He said he knows Jordan Clarkson and John Collins, and he was coached by Utah assistant Rick Higgins and Jeff Hornacek during his time in Houston.
That should add some comfort to what is essentially a tryout run for Martin. His $8 million contract for next season is non-guaranteed.
And his time with the Rockets gives him a pretty good perspective of what the Jazz are currently going through. He was part of a long rebuilding project in Houston that featured some seasons with low win totals.
What did he take from those years?
"You should be motivated enough to go play basketball every single day, so that's one thing," Martin said. "The second thing is still going out and just competing at a high level, regardless of what your record is or what the score of the game is. You have 48 minutes to go out and play as hard as you possibly can."
That mindset should help win over his new coaches rather quickly. It remains to be seen when he will get his first chance with the Jazz.
Martin has been sidelined due to a left foot injury he suffered just before Christmas, though he was getting closer to return before a flurry of trades moved him from Philadelphia to Detroit to Utah.
He said he'd been ramping up and had started to play five-on-five in practice before the trades. He joined the team for the first time this weekend in Los Angeles and will arrive in Salt Lake City for the first time following the Jazz's game at the Lakers on Monday.
Hardy said that after the Jazz's road trip, the team will evaluate where Martin is in the recovery process and start to get him up to speed; however, it was a nice coincidence that Martin got to come home before heading to Utah for the first time.
"I have family that lives here (in LA), so gives me a chance to meet the guys and be around them and also see my family," he said. "So it's been a little bit hectic, but it's not my first time getting traded, so it happens."
One of those family members? Kenyon Martin, who the Jazz played against during a memorable first-round series in 2010 ("Carmelo's people of Utah" ring any bells?).
The younger Martin said he has some memories of watching that series.
"I still remember when he was in Denver. I remember a good amount of his career. He retired when I was in ninth grade, so throughout lower school until high school, I got to see him play," he said.
Now, he gets to make his own memories with Utah.
And he thinks a franchise that's prioritizing youth is a good fit for him to take the next step in his career.
"I mean, I'm 24. I'm already in my fifth year, so I feel like I've been around for some time now. There are some young guys on this team and, obviously, the stuff I learned from different teams, I could bring back the knowledge here," he said. "The biggest thing is to go out and compete on both ends of the floor and try to help my teammates get better and win games."
