Here’s an unexpected truth about Remy Martin after KU Jayhawks’ win over Oklahoma St.
I never thought we’d get to this reality with Kansas guard Remy Martin.
But here’s the truth and a sentence I never thought would be written following Kansas’ 74-63 road victory over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night: KU needs him to stop being so unselfish.
Two months ago, I wouldn’t have expected to type those words. Not after KU’s only exhibition game, coach Bill Self benched Martin to deliver a message ... and Martin still promptly came in to attempt (and make) almost every shot in his first few possessions.
The former Arizona State guard came to Lawrence as a free spirit and seemed unlikely to be broken of that. He mostly had free rein in four years at Arizona State while having to be the guy most nights for his team to succeed.
Self, though, always envisioned his new point guard’s role would be different with the Jayhawks. Martin had better teammates, so there was no need always to circle back to the basketball, nor jack up tough mid-range shots just because they were available.
To his credit, Martin has come a long way. He tried to play some heroball late in KU’s only loss to Dayton, but after that, he responded positively. He’s attempted to be a team player. He’s taken more pride in his defense and earned praise from Self for that. And he’s also continued to bring on-court energy and emotion to a roster that desperately needs it.
When it comes to being generous to teammates, though, Martin’s pendulum somehow has swung too far in a direction opposite from initially expected.
The most glaring example came late in the game Tuesday. KU broke pressure to get the ball to Martin in the corner. He used his speed to cut baseline, with only a single Oklahoma State guard left in the lane to give a weak version of help.
Martin had an open layup. And instead of taking it, he tried to dish to the corner to Christian Braun, who wasn’t there.
The KU coaches’ reactions were honest in the moment. Assistants Kurtis Townsend and Norm Roberts grabbed their heads. Self immediately called for a sub. Martin himself went to the bench immediately, knowing he was coming out.
Self has talked about this type of situation before, wanting Martin to make “winning” basketball plays — and with a sequence like this, passing instead of scoring actually is being inconsiderate to teammates.
It’s gotten to the point that even those around Martin are noticing his pass-almost-all-the-time ways.
“He’s so unselfish, I think we as a team have been trying to tell him like, ‘Hey, you’re a bad man,’” KU forward Mitch Lightfoot said. “Go ahead and shoot the ball. Reward yourself for getting us easy baskets. Reward yourself for playing defense.”
Martin also was asked if he felt like he was deferring too much after the game. And, well, he pushed that idea aside.
“Man, my guys are doing well. CB (Braun), Och (Agbaji), they’ve been doing really well. And. then David (McCormack) today was great,” Martin said. “So I’m just trying to win the game. Maybe I’m unselfish. Maybe not. But we’re winning, so I have no complaints about it.”
There’s a bit of maturity to saying this. Martin was picked as Big 12 preseason player of the year, and because of his newfound secondary role, that sort of expectation isn’t realistic at this point; he’s focused himself less on stats and more on helping the team succeed.
But again ... there’s a fine line. Just as Martin’s end-of-shot-clock heroics with a guarded three-pointer helped KU to a near-insurmountable lead against Oklahoma State, his passiveness a few seconds later in the backcourt nearly led to a turnover, as he tried to immediately pass the ball away to Braun instead of taking control and bringing it up himself.
It was the sort of move that prompted Self to talk to both Martin and fellow guard Dajuan Harris after the game. The coach’s message: You should want the ball in those scenarios, just like a quarterback takes pride in being the one who can ice wins away in football.
“As a point guard, you got a lead, you measure your worth as, ‘Can you call close the game?’” Self said. “And we didn’t close it tonight.”
KU had five turnovers in the last 3:19 when it needed someone to take charge. Harris was careless. And Martin wasn’t forceful enough before getting benched.
It’s all a learning experience. Part of the reason Self desperately wanted his team to play at Colorado — before the game was canceled — was to get an on-campus road contest before Big 12 play started.
KU still passed its test Tuesday. Self won’t apologize for any conference victory, and especially not one in Stillwater, where it’s been so tough to win in previous seasons.
But he hopes his team learns some lessons too, which includes Martin finding a happy medium between where he was and where he is now.
He’s certainly come a long way with his thoughts.
But sometimes shooting is a winning play too.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Here’s an unexpected truth about Remy Martin after KU Jayhawks’ win over Oklahoma St.."
