Surprise contributor playing key role in Nets’ dramatic improvement

Tyrese Martin was fighting for his NBA life when he joined the Brooklyn Nets last summer. Waived by two teams the prior two seasons, the 6-foot-5 guard’s invite to Brooklyn’s training camp was a lifeline. His impressive performance earned him a two-way contract, then a non-guaranteed standard contract, then a guaranteed contract, and finally a full-time rotation spot.

Martin has continued to flash his potential early this season. The Nets have played their best basketball over their last five games, and Martin has played a key role, earning the trust of his teammates and Brooklyn’s coaching staff.

For a player attempting to solidify his place in the team’s long-term plans, that trust will go a long way.

“I think he’s just a mature, steady person. You see it in the day-to-day, and it reflects on the court,” Jordi Fernandez said. “All his teammates trust him. We trust him. And he’s been part of our success as far as competing… He’s always a person that will bring the group together, he’ll talk. He doesn’t say much, but when he does say something, everybody really listens. That’s a guy that always leads by example. So, you always need a grown-up, and I know he’s not very old, but he’s a reliable person, and I think we’ve tried to build something special. You definitely need people like him. He’s definitely a star in his role.”

Jordi Fernandez had very high praise for Tyrese Martin's recent performance:

"He's just a mature, steady person. You see it in the day-to-day and it reflects on the court. All his teammates trust him. We trust him. And he's been part of our success as far as competing… A guy… pic.twitter.com/GspMbvvyXN

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 24, 2025

Martin has averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 turnovers on 50/44/79 shooting splits over Brooklyn’s last five games.

Tyrese Martin continues to impress while playing explanded role with Nets

With exclusively rookie point guards on the roster, the Nets have moved Martin to the position and tasked him with increased ball-handling responsibilities. Following a slow start to the season, he’s finding his rhythm as a leader in the team’s backcourt.

“Just being aggressive. I know I didn’t start the season off in my first 10 games how I wanted to and to help this team,” Martin said after Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. “Mentally, I was messed up, but then I kind of got out of that like five games ago and just let myself play free mentally and not think about how I’ve been playing. I’m just thinking about how I’m going to play going forward. And it’s been working for me. So that’s ideally my role, just come out and help the team in a positive way. And I felt like these last five games, that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Martin has played a critical role off the bench during the Nets’ top performances this season. The former second-round pick has averaged 15.3 points and 3.3 assists on 18-of-29 (62.1 percent) shooting from the field and 8-of-16 from three across Brooklyn’s three wins.

General Manager Sean Marks is “looking for the next Nets” as the team moves forward in its rebuild. Martin’s performance has been enough to earn him a steady role this season. Whether it’s enough to earn him a place in the team’s future plans remains to be seen.

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