Kevin Martin: Better Than You Think

Look at the list of top scorers in the NBA over the last two years, and one name might stand out: Kevin Martin. As in, who is Kevin Martin? The unconventional (read: awkward) shooting guard has flown under the radar, coming out of mid-major land in college, and then landing on the Kings just as they entered their rebuilding phase.

But John Krolik of SLAM explains, Martin is even better than his 23.2 ppg and 42% field goal percentage might lead you to believe. Turns out, Martin is one of the league leaders in True Shooting Percentage (TS%). And what is TS%? It's basketball stats nerds' answer to EqA in baseball: a stat that takes into account three-pointers and free throws in calculating a player's shooting percentage. Since a high percentage of Martin's shots come from downtown, and he's extremely proficient at drawing contact, Martin's TS% is roughly 60% - a number only three-point specialists like Brent Barry put up. Compared to other high-volume scorers like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, Martin is in a class by himself.

So next time you flip the channel past a Kings game, remember: you're missing out on this generation's most underrated long-distance chucker.