UConn coaching staff had ‘feeling’ where Tyrese Martin was going and sure enough he’s an Atlanta Hawk

UConn guard Tyrese Martin was selected 51st overall by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night, but was quickly traded to Atlanta.

The Hawks sent the No. 44 pick for the No. 51 pick and $2 million according to ESPN NBA insider, Adrian Wojnarowski.

The UConn coaching staff had a feeling Atlanta would pick Martin.

“He had a great workout with the Hawks two weeks ago or so,” said Luke Murray, a UConn assistant coach. “We knew they were big fans of his along with a handful of other teams. We went into the draft night with the Hawks at No. 44 in mind and when they made the trade with Golden State we thought there would be a great opportunity to go when he did.”

This marks the second-consecutive year a UConn player was picked in the draft after James Bouknight was chosen 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets last year.

“It’s part of our mission to obviously win as many games as we can, go deep into the tournament as we can and also produce NBA players,” Murray said.“If you look at the history of UConn, they’ve been able to do both things to win big and produce NBA guys. I think there are only 14 or 15 teams in the country that have had players picked in the last two drafts. We are hoping to have players picked in next year’s draft as well. It’s something we are striving toward.”

After transferring from the University of Rhode Island before the 2020-21 season, Martin played two seasons with the Huskies. He averaged a career-high 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 43% from the 3-point line in the 2021-22 season.

He rose up draft boards after his stellar play in his post-collegiate appearances. He was named to the Portsmouth Invitational all-tournament team which led to an invitation to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp. He was then one of the seven players chosen from that to participate in the NBA Combine.

“Every step along the way he had to bring it because nothing was easy for him on his path,” Murray said. “He wasn’t necessarily getting the benefit of the doubt. He had to earn it every step of the way and he did.”

Martin is known for his ability to hit the 3 and play good defense while being an above-average rebounder for a guard. He has been quick to point out what he views as the strengths on defense and the versatility he brings.

“My ability to guard multiple positions at my size and physicality,” Martin told The Courant in May when asked what he might bring to a pro roster. “I feel like now when you watch these playoffs you see there’s a lot of role players getting playing time guarding these superstars.”

According to Murray, the Hawks loved Martin’s attitude, his desire to win and his overall defensive ability. They felt adding an older, more experienced player to the roster would bode well.

Landry Fields, the Atlanta Hawks general manager, raved about Martin’s mentality post-draft.

“What an unbelievable story. Fields said. “Another guy that from a character-value standpoint and what we want to build here, we couldn’t be more excited. Him and A.J. are top notch in that regard. Tough kid, brings defense, also versatile as a wing, can shoot the ball. Hopefully, we can continue to see that be consistent as we continue on here.

“At UConn, he played a great role and that’s really going to help us as we project a guy like that in the second round to get in the pathway to possibly play more.”

The 6-foot-6 guard from Allentown, Pennsylvania, sees himself as a quality role player at the next level.

“I don’t see myself going in there and being some Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant type,” Martin said. “I know what I can bring to an organization which is my toughness and hard work.”

Earlier in the night, Atlanta picked Duke forward A.J. Griffin with the 16th pick in the first round. Last season, the Hawks went 43-39 and captured the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Miami Heat, 4-1.

The Orlando Magic chose Duke forward Paolo Banchero with the first overall pick. The Oklahoma City Thunder picked Gonzaga center Chet Holgrem at two, and the Houston Rockets selected Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. at three. The Sacramento Kings picked Iowa forward Keegan Murray fourth, and the Detroit Pistons chose Purdue guard Jaden Ivey fifth.