Former KU guard Remy Martin selected in NBA G League Draft; Braun fares well in Denver
Former University of Kansas combo guard Remy Martin on Saturday was selected by the Cleveland Charge in the second round of the three-round NBA G League Draft.
Martin, a 6-foot-0, 175-pound, 24-year-old native of Burbank, California, was the eighth player selected in the second round and the 37th player selected overall. No other Jayhawks were selected.
Martin played four years at Arizona State before transferring to KU as a super-senior for the 2021-22 season. Martin averaged 8.6 points a game for the Jayhawks, who won Big 12 regular-season, postseason tourney and NCAA titles.
He was sensational in the NCAA Tournament, earning the Midwest Regional most outstanding player award.
He hit four three-pointers and scored 14 points in KU’s 72-69 victory over North Carolina in the NCAA title game. He also had a huge blocked shot late in the second half.
Martin scored 20 points with four assists in a second-round win over Creighton and a season-high 23 points with seven rebounds against Providence in the Sweet 16.
Martin scored 12 points with four assists and four boards versus Texas Tech in the Big 12 tourney title game, a 74-65 Jayhawks victory.
Other picks by Cleveland, the affiliate team of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, in the G League Draft: Sam Merrill, a former Utah State guard at No. 1 overall; Rashad Vaughn, a guard with NBA experience (first pick round two) and J.J. Moore, a guard who has played in the G League the last four seasons (first pick round three).
Christian Braun update
Former KU guard Christian Braun has scored 13 points in three games for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, who are off to a 2-1 start in Braun’s rookie season.
Braun hit 3 of 4 threes and scored nine points while playing 16 minutes in Saturday’s 122-117 home win over Oklahoma City. On Friday, he had four points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals while playing 23 minutes in a 128-123 win at Golden State. He played just two minutes in a 123-102 season-opening loss at Utah.
He’s 3-for-5 from three-point range so far this season. The first three-point bucket of his pro career came against Oklahoma City. It was in the third quarter off an assist from Nikola Jokic.
“He’s a rookie who’s grown up pretty quickly in this league. It’s great to see him step in and shoot those shots with confidence,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told the Colorado Springs Gazette after the win over OKC. “He turned it over once last night against Golden State because he turned down a shot. When he came out, I said ‘Listen, make or miss, you have to take that shot, because it’s a good shot and you work your butt off on that shot every day.’ Tonight, he stepped in and played with great confidence.”
Against Golden State, the 6-foot-6 Braun was awarded the Nuggets’ defensive player of the game award and the game ball. He guarded Warriors standouts Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, as well as Jordan Poole, at different times in the game.
“For that to be my first experience in the league was great,” Braun, a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest, told the Gazette. “It was a fun experience for me. I learned a lot throughout the game and then just showing people what I can do was fun.”
Of Braun, Malone said: “This is a guy that played in a lot of big games, and he’s a winner. He’s never afraid. … I think he’s only going to get more and more comfortable the more he plays.”
Agbaji signs Nike deal
Former KU guard Ochai Agbaji is being brought along slowly by the Utah Jazz at the start of his rookie campaign. He’s played one minute in three games for the Jazz, who are off to a surprising 3-0 start.
On Friday, ESPN’s Nick DePaula reported that Agbaji was one of 14 rookies to sign a contract with Nike. The others to sign with Nike: Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City), Jaden Ivey (Detroit), Shaedon Sharpe (Portland), Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio), Jalen Duren (Charlotte), AJ Griffin (Atlanta), Tari Eason (Houston), David Roddy (Philadelphia), Wendell Moore (Dallas), Patrick Baldwin (Golden State), TyTy Washington (Memphis), Andrew Nembhard (Indiana) and Jaden Hardy (Sacramento).
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Former KU guard Remy Martin selected in NBA G League Draft; Braun fares well in Denver."
