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How Caleb Martin earned his spot with the Hornets

The undrafted rookie impressed in the preseason and was awarded with a multi-year deal.

Mitchell Northam

(Mitchell Northam / Hornet Maven - Sports Illustrated)

CHARLOTTE -- As media members shuffled into the Charlotte Hornets’ locker room after a preseason game against the Miami Heat, Caleb Martin was unsure where to go.

Martin didn’t even have a locker at that point. His belongings were draped over and shoved under two folding chairs in corner next to the locker of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Martin wasn’t really supposed to be there, it seemed. Despite his stellar senior campaign at Nevada, he went unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft. 

But the Hornets signed him as an undrafted free agent and Martin was making the most of his opportunities.

That night against the Heat – at home in front of some family and friends – Martin balled out, racking up 14 points on nine shots in 18 minutes of play. He also tallied up three rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals. The efficiency might have been lacking, but the desire, the effort and the heart shined through. Martin wanted this, and head coach James Borrego could tell.

“He’s just a competitive kid. He gets after it. He’s not afraid of the moment,” Borrego said of Martin. “That’s the biggest thing, in general.

“Skillset wise, he can get to the rim, put pressure on the rim. He got a few great attacks in Boston and he’s been doing that all camp. He’s a capable scorer, shooter, and he’s got good size. He can play multiple positions.”

Martin’s twin brother, Cody, was almost always guaranteed a roster spot with the Hornets after they spent a draft pick on him. At the worst, he’d be sent to the G-League (which still might happen for both Martin twins). But Caleb was undrafted. The Hornets were taking a chance on him, putting him in a comfortable environment with his brother and seeing what they could get out of him at a low-risk cost to them.

All Caleb did was keep earning chances and keep impressing. He played double-digit minutes in every preseason game and scored at least 12 points in three out of five games.

“I’d like to think so,” Martin said when asked if he felt like he earned those minutes in the preseason. “Especially in this league and on this team, nothing is going to be given to you. We got too many good players in the league and on this team. And the team is so young, you’re going to have to earn everything you get. So, I like to think I’ve worked pretty hard and earned my minutes, for sure.”

For his effort, Martin was given a long-term home. When the preseason ended, he didn’t have to worry about getting cut, going to try out for another team, or wondering who would be signing his next paycheck. He and the Hornets agreed to a partially guaranteed three-year deal.

Signing that deal was a monumental moment for Martin. After not hearing his name called on draft night and not see his name crawl across the ESPN ticker, he knew he’d have to work extra hard to earn his place in the NBA.

“Getting drafted or not, you always have to prove yourself,” Martin told S.I.'s Hornet Maven. “That’s been the biggest thing for me – whether I’d be here or anywhere else – just trying to prove that I belong and figuring out a way to stick.”

Martin has continued to find minutes with the Hornets in the regular season. He made his NBA regular season debut in their second home game, notching four points, three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes in a loss to the Timberwolves.

Again, Martin didn’t light up the scoreboard, but he was everywhere on the court.

Several times this season and preseason, Borrego has complimented Martin’s effort and the pace he plays with. Martin has always been a threat in transition, with the way that he can take the ball coast to coast and glide to the rim. And the Hornets are attempting to play a style that is fast and entertaining, similar to what Martin was used to at Nevada.

Eric Musselman’s Wolfpack wasn’t always the fastest team in college basketball – ranking 102 in pace last season – but they were awesome on offense, posting the 13 best offensive rating last season.

“(Borrego) talks a lot about pace, getting up and down the floor, because it just creates easy lay-ups,” Martin said. “That’s one thing about our team: we got a lot of guys who are athletic, young and can finish, so, pace is a big thing for us, so we can create easy lay-ups and we’re not having to create stuff off the dribble with iso moves. That helps us out a lot. It gets guys going whenever they’re not making shots.

“I’ve always found myself playing in a system where we play pretty fast. I think that’s where I’ve always thrived, just playing fast and getting up and down and being able to use my athleticism.”

Caleb and his brother Cody grew up in Mocksville, North Carolina, a small town just southwest of Winston-Salem. They initially started their college basketball careers at N.C. State before moving onto Nevada, where they blossomed into All-Mountain West talents and helped take the Wolfpack to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 trip in 2018.

Martin said “about 10” of his family and friends showed up to the Hornets first home preseason game against the Heat, but there’s a waiting list that’s much longer.

“We can only get so many tickets,” he said with a laugh.

Those close to the Martin twins can easily tell them apart. Borrego, on the other hand, is going through what every other coach the Martin twins have had before him has gone through.

“We’re excited to have both of them. I’m still trying to figure out which is which on the court,” Borrego said with a smile. “They don’t make it easy for you. I got my little tricks. I’m getting better.”

And Martin is too.

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Mitchell Northam
MITCHELL NORTHAM

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