After playing in 71 games and averaging a career high 7.7 points per game throughout the 2021 NBA season, Cody Martin has only played a total of 35 games total over the past two years.
In 2022, Martin endured an arthroscopic surgery on his knee. What was supposed to be a bounce back season for the fifth year veteran quickly devolved into a frustrating saga featuring lingering soreness from the surgery and an unfortunate ankle injury.
Martin made a name for himself in the city of Charlotte by becoming one of the team's best on ball defenders in recent memory. During his second game of the season, he managed to record four steals against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 26th, 2023.
Despite struggling to return to form this year, Martin showed numerous flashes of his former self throughout his 28 games this season. He was able to record 5+ rebounds in 12 games and even managed to keep his 3FG% in line with his career average, suggesting that, when healthy, he's as good as ever.
The only thing more concerning than the initial injury from 2022, was its ability to hinder Martin well into the 2023 season. After playing in 71 games while averaging 26.3 minutes per game in 2021, injuries have absolutely derailed Martin's career.
Additionally, his 7.7 FGA from this year marked a career high, while his .381 FG% marked a career low. At this point, it's absolutely fair to be concerned about the wear and tear on his body affecting his game.
Martin announced his return with authority with this dunk over Ivica Zubac.
Cody Martin down the lane... with FORCE
Hornets-Clippers | Live on NBA TV
https://t.co/TdRFTgShIn pic.twitter.com/K5mMNuHAp5
Given what we know now about the state of Martin's knee and ankle, this had to have been as painful as it was embarrassing.
Dame Drops Cody Martin
@Bucks #FearTheDeer #LetsFly
pic.twitter.com/1gu6QbeR9x
Martin's play was relatively sufficient whenever he was able to step on the court, it's just that those moments have been few and far between for quite some time now. However, that description could be applied to multiple members of the Hornets' roster.
It's difficult to asses the current state of a player when they only play a handful of games each season, but that lack of activity must be held against them at some point during the evaluation process. Until the Hornets are able to shake off the injury bug, these middle-of-the-road seasonal performances are going to be the best that they can hope for.
DREW COOK
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