With Kevin Porter Jr. sidelined by lower back soreness, Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas did not replace Porter point guard in Friday’s home game versus Indiana and instead started KJ Martin. In that role, the third-year forward played alongside usual starters in Jalen Green, Eric Gordon, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun.
Martin has been Houston’s most trustworthy reserve so far in the 2022-23 season, averaging 10.9 points (52.9% FG, 34.0% on 3-pointers) and 4.7 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game. He’s also a very athletic and versatile defender, which gives the Rockets more size in the frontcourt relative to most games this season.
