Kelan Martin

Kelan Martin (born August 3, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Butler Bulldogs. He attended Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Martin scored 2,047 points during his career with the Butler Bulldogs, the second-highest in the school's history. He was selected for the All-Big East second team on two occasions and the All-District 5 second team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. As a senior, Martin was named to the All-Big East first team.

Kelan Martin
Martin with Butler in 2016
No. 21 – Indiana Pacers
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1995-08-03) August 3, 1995
Louisville, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolBallard (Louisville, Kentucky)
CollegeButler (2014–2018)
NBA draft2018 / Undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
2019–2020Minnesota Timberwolves
2019–2020→Iowa Wolves
2020–presentIndiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Big East (2018)
  • 2× Second-team All-Big East (2016, 2017)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Martin comes from a basketball family. His father, Kenneth was on the state championship team at Louisville's Ballard High School and won an NCAA Division II championship at Kentucky Wesleyan. His mother, the former Kristie Jordan, was honored with a retired jersey at Ballard and competed for an NCAA runner-up team at Western Kentucky. They met at the age of eight growing up in housing projects in downtown Louisville and married after college. As of 2017 Kenneth works as assistant director of pupil personnel for Jefferson County Public Schools, while Kristie works in administration monitoring Louisville's police budget. Kelan has a younger brother, Kameron, and was raised with cousin Jalil Brown, the son of Kristie's deceased sister.[1]

Growing up, Kelan preferred American football to basketball. He competed for Louisville Legends summer teams in middle school, where he was nicknamed "Baby Shaq" by Rajon Rondo. While at Ballard High School, he competed for the AAU team Indiana Elite, where future Louisville player Quentin Snider starred. Martin measured 6'5" as a freshman at Ballard and started several games. He stopped playing football as a sophomore and worked on improving his running ability. As a junior, Martin guided Ballard to the Sweet 16 of the Kentucky basketball tournament, recording 23 points and 14 rebounds in the Bruins’ 59-55 victory over Montgomery County at Rupp Arena. In the championship, Martin scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, but Madison County beat Ballard 65-64.[1] He averaged 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds as a junior and was named to the Second Team All-State.[2]

Coach Chris Renner called Martin's senior year the best season of any player he coached at Ballard. The Bruins were ranked number one in Kentucky. Although outshone by Quentin Snider, Martin scored 16 points in an overtime loss to Trey Lyles-led Arsenal Tech. He had 28 points, including the deciding three-pointer, when Ballard beat Myles Turner and Trinity High School (Euless, Texas) 72-70.[1] In another game against Doss High School, Martin scored 36 points,[2] and coach Renner started isolating him from practices since he overwhelmed team scrimmages. The season ended when the Bruins lost to Trinity High School (Louisville) in the regional championship 59-58.[1] He scored 2,014 points in his career, third in school history. As a senior, Martin averaged 22.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, shooting 37 percent from three-point range.[2]

His first recruiting offer was from IUPUI, coached by his father's high school teammate Todd Howard. Martin was first recruited to Butler by Brad Stevens, and his recruitment continued under Brandon Miller. He considered Providence, St. Louis, West Virginia and Oklahoma but chose Butler because he liked the coaches and players. When Snider decommitted from Illinois and selected Louisville, Martin's friends thought he should follow suit but he remained firm in his commitment to the Bulldogs. He was ranked 139th nationally by Rivals.com and was a finalist for Kentucky Mr. Basketball.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kelan Martin
Power Forward		 Louisville, KY Ballard High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 8, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80

College career

Freshman

By the time Martin arrived on campus, Chris Holtmann was the coach.[1] On November 22, 2014, Martin had a season-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds in a win over Loyola (Maryland.)[3] The following game, Martin had 17 points in 17 minutes in a 74-66 upset over fifth-ranked North Carolina.[4] He was named Big East Rookie of the Week on March 9, 2015, after scoring 14 points against Providence. Martin averaged 7.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.[2]

Sophomore

He scored 35 points and grabbed eight rebounds in an 87-76 win against Georgetown on February 26, 2016, the most by a Butler player since 1998.[5][1] He was twice named the Big East Player of the Week on December 14 and February 8. Over the course of the season, he had eight double-doubles in both points and rebounds, and 10 games with 20 or more points.[2]

Martin averaged 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore on a team led by Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones.[1][6] He was marred by a slump of form at the end of the season.[7] In the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament, Martin scored eight points in 51 seconds to propel the Bulldogs to a 71-61 win against Texas Tech.[8] As a sophomore, Martin was named to the Second Team All-Big East.[9] After the season, he lost some weight and attended a training camp in Long Beach, California.[1]

Junior

Coming into his junior year, Martin was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big East.[10] Martin was named Big East Player of the Week on December 19, 2016 after scoring 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting in an 83-78 victory over Indiana.[11] He did this despite going scoreless for the first 15 minutes.[12] He had 22 points on January 28, 2017 against Georgetown.[13] In the final nine games of the season, after a slump in February, he came off the bench to average 17.7 points per game while shooting 50 percent.[7] He was again named Big East Player of the Week on February 27, 2017, after a week in which he scored 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a 74-66 upset over Villanova and posted 25 points and seven rebounds in an 88-79 victory against Xavier.[14]

Despite dealing with lower back spasms, Martin scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, and made four assists in Butler's 74-65 victory over Middle Tennessee State to reach the Sweet 16.[8] In his junior season, Martin led the Bulldogs in scoring (16.0 points per game) and rebounding (5.8 per game) while shooting 43 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc.[7] He was one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award as Division I's top small forward.[15] Martin was a Second Team All-Big East selection as a junior.[16] The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Martin to the All‐District 5 Second Team on March 22.[17] After the season, Martin undertook an internship with the TV station WTHR-13, working in video production and editing. He did not enter the NBA Draft, since he wants to improve his mobility, and he is cooking his own food as a means of controlling his diet.[7]

Senior

In an 81-69 win over Utah on December 5, Martin scored 29 points.[18] On December 27, he had 27 points, including a game-winning layup with 2.9 seconds remaining in double overtime, to beat Georgetown 91-89.[19] Martin scored 23 points to help defeat top-ranked Villanova 101-93 on December 30.[20] He had a career-high 37 points in a 94-83 win over Marquette on January 12, 2018.[21]

As a senior, Martin averaged 21.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He was named to the First-team All-Big East.[22] Martin scored 27 points in the first round NCAA Tournament matchup versus Arkansas and surpassed the 2,000 point threshold.[23] He had 29 points in the 76-73 loss to Purdue in the Round of 32. Martin was a finalist for the Julius Erving Award as the nation's top small forward.[24] He finished his career at Butler with 2,047 points, the second highest in school history.[25]

Professional career
Martin in 2020

Riesen Ludwigsburg (2018-2019)

Prior to the 2018 NBA draft, Martin worked out for 12 NBA teams. After going undrafted, he signed a Summer League deal with the Utah Jazz.[26] On July 31, 2018, Martin signed with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the Basketball Bundesliga.[27] Martin averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 27 games in Germany.[28]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019-2020)

Martin joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2019 NBA Summer League, and after impressing for the team, he signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves.[29] He made his NBA debut on October 15 but was inactive in the next nine games. Martin scored a career-high 14 points and six rebounds in a 112-102 win over the Utah Jazz on November 18.[28] He had 12 points and eight rebounds on January 2, 2020, in a 99-84 win over the Golden State Warriors.[30] In the G League, Martin posted 39 points for the Iowa Wolves in a 163-143 loss to the Stockton Kings on January 11.[31] Martin was called up to Minnesota and had 12 points and five rebounds on February 3 in a 113-109 loss to the Sacramento Kings while filling in for the injured Allen Crabbe.[32]

Indiana Pacers (2020-present)

On November 26, 2020, Martin signed with the Indiana Pacers on a two-year contract.[33][34]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Minnesota 31416.0.392.260.9683.1.7.2.36.4
Career 31416.0.392.260.9683.1.7.2.36.4

References
  1. Woods, David (November 7, 2016). "Butler's Kelan Martin: Out of the shadows and into the spotlight". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  2. "30 Kelan Martin". Butler Bulldogs. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  3. "Butler crushes Loyola (MD), 80-39". ESPN. Associated Press. November 22, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  4. "Butler hangs on for upset of No. 5 North Carolina in Battle 4 Atlantis". ESPN. Associated Press. November 26, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  5. "Martin scores career-high 35, Butler beats Georgetown 87-76". ESPN. Associated Press. February 2, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  6. Woods, David (November 1, 2016). "Butler profile: Kelan Martin goes from supporting role to lead actor". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  7. Woods, David (June 20, 2017). "Butler's Kelan Martin brushes off NBA Draft: 'I want to make this year my best year'". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  8. Doyel, Gregg (March 18, 2017). "Doyel: Suffering silently, Kelan Martin takes it out on Middle Tennessee State". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  9. "Four Named Unanimously to MBB All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. March 6, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  10. "Villanova's Hart Named Preseason Player of the Year". Big East Conference. October 11, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  11. "2016-17 Big East Men's Basketball" (PDF). Big East Conference. December 19, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  12. Dauster, Rob (January 17, 2017). "It's time for Butler's Kelan Martin to shine in the spotlight". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  13. Doyel, Gregg (February 19, 2017). "How coming off the bench is something of a blessing for Butler's Kelan Martin". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  14. "2016-17 Big East Men's Basketball" (PDF). Big East Conference. February 27, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  15. Woods, David (February 7, 2017). "Butler expecting less of Kelan Martin, hoping for more". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  16. "All-BIG EAST Teams Have Unanimous Flavor". Big East Conference. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  17. "National Association of Basketball Coaches Announces 2016-17 Division I All-District Teams and Coaches" (PDF). National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  18. "Martin's big night helps Butler roll past Utah 81-69". ESPN. Associated Press. December 6, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  19. Woods, David (December 27, 2017). "Kelan Martin pushes Butler over the top in 2 overtimes". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  20. "Butler's 3-point barrage stops No. 1 Villanova 101-93". ESPN. Associated Press. December 30, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  21. "Martin scores career-high 37, Butler beats Marquette 94-83". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  22. Woods, David (March 4, 2018). "It's unanimous: Scoring champ Kelan Martin is All-Big East". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  23. "Martin surpasses 2,000 career points as Butler defeats Arkansas 79-62". FoxSports.com. March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  24. Woods, David (March 18, 2018). "Kelan Martin leaves as a Butler all-time great, and that's not all". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  25. Dedman, John (August 9, 2019). "Kelan Martin Signs Two-Way Contract with Minnesota Timberwolves". Butler Bulldogs. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  26. "Kelan Martin signs Summer League contract with Utah Jazz". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  27. "Kelan Martin signs with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg". Sportando. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  28. "No two-ways about it, rookie Martin shining in recent stint with Wolves". Fox Sports. November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  29. "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN KELAN MARTIN TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  30. "Timberwolves' Kelan Martin: Nears double-double". CBS Sports. January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  31. "Timberwolves' Kelan Martin: Catches fire in G League". CBS Sports. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  32. "Timberwolves' Kelan Martin: Holding down rotation spot". CBS Sports. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  33. VanTryon, Matthew (November 26, 2020). "Former Butler Bulldog Kelan Martin signs with Pacers". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  34. "Pacers Sign Seven Players". NBA.com. November 29, 2020.
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