RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 0% of leagues
ANALYSIS: ROY front-runner and Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the season due to a fractured wrist. Putting aside the fact that the injury is extremely unfortunate for both LaMelo and the playoff-hopeful Hornets, the fact remains that there is now 28.6 minutes per game of dead air for Charlotte, and an active 28.6 minutes at that. If a well-rounded skill set is required from the Hornet bench, Cody Martin could be fielding the call and capitalizing on the opportunity. Cody has lost considerable PT in 2021 due to the influx of young talent over the past year, and averages 12.5 minutes across 29 games so far, putting up 3.8 points, 2.4 boards, and 1.2 assists. While Cody still has plenty of problems from the field, he has demonstrated improvement in 2021, putting up his best marks as a pro at 25% from three (0.2 out of 1.0 per game), a 56.4% effective field goal rate, and a 58.3% true shooting rate. He has also improved his ratios for rebounding (10.5%), blocks (1.1%), and turnovers (15.4%); while maintaining figures of 13.3% and 2.0% for assist and steal percentage (his proverbial bread and butter).
If all Hornets were adjusted to 36 minutes a game, Cody would rank fifth on the team in assists (3.5) and third in steals (1.5, Caleb ranks first at 2.1). For further evidence that LaMelo's injury means a greater role for Cody, note that he got 30 minutes on the floor Saturday against the Clippers while Charlotte opted to only play LaMelo 22 minutes in a blowout loss, while Cody finished with five points, five boards, four assists, two steals, and zero turnovers. By comparison, Caleb has only seen 59 total minutes dating back to February 10th. They each excel to different degrees in rebounding, passing, and steals (and both stuffed stat lines to the brim last year with the Greensboro Storm), with Cody being the one most inclined to orchestrate an offense and initiate transition basketball with active hands in the passing lanes. If Miles Bridges or P.J. Washington had suffered a fractured wrist, then the missing rebounding and aggressive scoring approach could easily lend to Caleb Martin having an increased role as they battle for postseason position. But, because it is LaMelo who left the void, Charlotte may need a versatile forward to step up who has solid vision and focused perimeter defense (as they'll be missing 28.6 minutes worth of LaMelo assists, steals, and rebounds every night). While the opportunity disbursement may not be exclusive to him, Cody Martin is in great position to contribute across the board for those in deep, deep, deep formats.
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