Caleb Martin curious, Council ‘a completely different person,’ more Sixers note originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
In Caleb Martin’s mind, it can never hurt to ask reasonable questions.
Head coach Nick Nurse agrees with the new Sixers forward.
“I think he has a really high IQ,” Nurse said Wednesday of Martin. “He knows how to play and he also understands that he is learning new things. And he asks really good questions about what we’re doing and what we’re getting into, which shows that he’s got some advanced thinking there.
Following his three years with the Heat, Martin tries to understand the nuances of the schemes of the Sixers.
“It’s a little different system,” he said. “It’s a different place. I’m just the type where I don’t like to leave any stone unturned. I know that everyone has their own style and their own principles. I just want to make sure I do everything as well as possible, as often as possible. So I just ask a lot of questions because I want to make sure I’m close to the same page as them early on.”
Martin’s pre-Sixers connections have been helpful as he digests all the change.
He developed a close relationship with Kyle Lowry during their Hot days. And Kelly Oubre Jr. called himself a Martin family “threesome” with twin brothers Cody and Caleb.
As he acclimates to playing alongside Oubre for the first time, Caleb Martin is encouraged by their preseason reps at the top of the Sixers’ zone defense.
“The one guy he really reminds me of, especially in the zones we’re going to play, is (former Heat and current Lakers guard) Gabe Vincent. I had such good chemistry with him. I think me and him kind of perfected the top of the belt very quickly. … Just based on the chemistry we already have and the way we maneuver with each other already at the top of the belt, it reminds me of that.
“So I’m definitely going to take a few pages out of mine and Gabe’s book and start trying to implement that as much as possible. And (Oubre) also asks a lot of questions. Just trying to get a feel for each other and see what works best for us. I think we’re already on the right track with that.”
Martin was guarded (and good-natured) when asked to compare the Sixers’ zone with the Heat’s, although he highlighted size as a significant difference. Oubre’s wingspan is up there with almost any perimeter player. He officially had a wingspan slightly over 7-foot-2 at the 2015 NBA draft combine.
“Can’t tell you all that,” Martin said with a smile. “There are a lot of similarities for sure. But I will say that here, we’re bigger — the belt is bigger…probably a little more athletic and just different pieces. The style will always be similar; you can’t do anything too different in a zone. But I think we can definitely cover a lot of ground in ours.”
Advise “a completely different person”
Both Martin and Ricky Council IV played in college for current USC head coach Eric Musselman.
In the NBA, Council aims to continue walking a path like Martin’s: From undrafted to two-way contract player to fully established, obviously valuable member of winning teams.
His head coach sees a player that no longer like a rookie.
“I know I keep saying this about Kelly … Ricky seems like a completely different person coming back this year than he was a year ago,” Nurse said. “Both of them were, ‘What the hell is going on? what are we doing Where do I fit in?’ He knows what we are doing. Our coaches have to stay with him to make sure he’s really using the two or three (main) skills he has all the time. All the time. But he sure feels good about his shot. He obviously feels good about going to the basket. He has an amazing skill at drawing mischief.
“I would say he still has some growing to do on the defensive end and it’s all just focus and locking in, and just never really relaxing. And again, just building that awareness takes some experience.”
Council was characteristically sharp as a downhill, open-field player in the The Sixers’ explosive pre-season opening win on Monday night over the New Zealand Breakers. He tallied 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting, made his only three-point attempt and grabbed six rebounds.
“Just knowing the game, knowing where to be,” Council said of his development since this time last year. “Just being comfortable out there and not having to overthink things. You know how to run to the corner, stay spaced out. When you get it, go. Just not overthinking things and playing my game.”
Increased rotation possibility
Council will hope he is part of the Sixers’ rotation when the team’s opening night takes place on October 23rd.
While Nurse is still evaluating players and sorting out possible lineup combinations, he indicated Tuesday that he is open to using 10 or 11 rotation players early in the season.
“I hope we have that many,” said Nurse. “I think we do at this point. I think there’s a lot of guys that I feel comfortable playing out there in a game. It does present its challenges, but I also think we need to put some thought and some creativity into it. Playing more than nine is hard enough, isn’t it? Nine, 10 is about what you can do just to keep the flow of the sub going.
“So there might be some nights where certain guys play and then the next night, certain guys don’t play, and you can keep that thing flowing back and forth. I hope that’s what we get, but usually it sorts itself out when you have nine or 10 (rotational players) out of those 12 available.”
