Rockets Ex KJ Martin: Houston Has 'Spot in My Heart'
Even though he didn't play on Friday night, Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin got his opportunity to visit his first NBA home when his team played the Houston Rockets.
Martin spent his first three seasons with the Rockets before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason. Months later, Martin was dealt again to the Sixers in the James Harden deal.
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Playing for one of the best teams in the league has cut Martin's playing time down significantly. He's only played 10 minutes or more on two occasions with Philly and is averaging just 1.7 points per game, far less than his 12.7 points per game average a year ago.
Martin expressed excitement about returning to Houston for the first time as a visitor.
“A lot of people put out that our team that — because we were losing every game, we weren’t learning anything,” Martin said via Sixers Wire's Ky Carlin. “Like we just played the wrong way and this and that. Me? I took every game seriously. Whatever the game plan was, I stuck to the game plan, and I played the right way every game and for my first three seasons, I just tried to build on it game by game, season by season, to become a better player.
“My three years there, obviously, we didn’t have the best seasons, but I went out there and competed and I put on for the city and gave the fans a show. Houston always got a spot in my heart for sure.”
Martin was one of Houston's bright spots during the last three years of darkness. Given the hits to the team's forward depth with injuries to Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks, having a player like Martin would be ideal, but the NBA is a business and Martin figured that out in his time with the Rockets.
