Paul George sat down with Amy Fadool and Marc Jackson during Sixers media day and talked about his decision to sign with the Sixers and how he thinks he’ll handle the pressure of playing Philadelphia.
Kyle Lowry isn’t the sort of person to feign enthusiasm for the cameras.
If he’s unimpressed or irritated, the six-time All-Star point guard won’t hide it.
So when Lowry speaks about former Heat teammate Caleb Martin, his praise jumps out.
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“I think he’s going to have a phenomenal impact,” Lowry said Monday of Martin. “When he got to Miami, that first year there, he was on a two-way contract. He went from a two-way, to a standard contract, to earning another contract, to earning another contract. That just shows the adaptability and the hard work that he puts in.
“He’s never satisfied with just doing one or two things. He’s always trying to push who he is to the next level. And I think he still has some things to prove. He’s going to bring a fight, he’s going to bring some attitude, he’s going to bring another voice. He’s not going to back down from anybody. He’s going to tell the truth how it is.”
Those qualities would all be welcome on Martin’s new team.
Sure, the Sixers will naturally look to stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George for leadership. And they’ll respect the accumulated wisdom of veterans like Lowry, Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson. But Martin’s words should hold some weight, too.
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The 29-year-old forward played in 45 postseason games over his three years with the Heat and had several big performances during Miami’s last two playoffs. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 steals in the Heat’s 2023 run to the NBA Finals and shot 42.3 percent from three-point range.
Like Lowry, it doesn’t appear that he’ll dance around difficult topics in Philadelphia.
“We have a great relationship,” Martin said of Lowry, whom he called one of his “big brothers” in July. “I’ve learned a lot from him in a short amount of time in Miami. He’s a winner. He knows what it takes to win; he’s been there and he’s done that. He’s got such a high IQ and he just knows the game. … I saw the instant impact he had midway through the year when he (went) from Miami to here.
“He just impacts teams in a positive way. Definitely a guy that you can learn a lot from and that you love to be on the same team as.”
On the court, Martin will likely be tasked with a wide variety of defensive duties. The players he spent significant time guarding last regular season include Dejounte Murray, Maxey, DeMar DeRozan, Cade Cunningham and Darius Garland.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was already floating out potential nicknames for himself, Martin and George.
“Infinite amount of opportunities for us on the defensive end,” Oubre said. “We’re definitely very versatile, agile, athletic, but the difference is we all want that challenge. It’s going to be fun fighting with them to see who guards and stops the (opposing player) who’s trying to get off. Call us the water stoppers … call us the plumbers. It’s going to be fun.”
Transitioning from Erik Spoelstra to Nick Nurse as his head coach, Martin should be comfortable switching routinely, playing zone, adapting on the fly and doing jobs that look daunting on paper.
“I think just the versatility that I bring,” Martin said. “Not only me, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can play multiple positions. I think that’s what makes us a deep team — and it goes back to being position-less, being able to guard one through four. And I also think being a little more vocal, as I was in Miami. I’m not too vocal off the court, but I think on the court is a little different for me.
“I speak up a lot, and I just like to figure things out and I love to collaborate with my teammates. I want to try to build leadership and intangibles as well … going into my sixth year and having been on certain stages and had certain experiences. I’ll try to combine all that and instill all that in whatever role I’m playing.”
