A surprising contributor plays a key role in Brooklyn’s dramatic improvement

Tyrese Martin was fighting for his life in the NBA when he joined Brooklyn Nets last summer. Waived by two teams the previous two seasons, the 6-foot-5 guard’s invitation to training camp in Brooklyn was a lifesaver. 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 continued to show his potential at the beginning of this season. The Nets have played their best basketball in the last five games, and Martin has played a key role, earning the trust of his teammates and Brooklyn’s coaching staff.

For a player trying 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, stable person. You see that day in and day out, and it’s reflected on the field,” Jordi Fernandez said. “All his teammates trust him. We trust him. And he’s been part of our success as far as the competition is concerned… He’s always the person who will bring the group together, he’ll talk. He doesn’t say much, but when he says something, everyone really listens. He’s a man who always leads by example. So you always need an adult, and I don’t think he’s a very old person, but I know he” tried to make something special. He is definitely a star in his role.

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

“He’s just a mature, steady person. You see that day in and day out and it shows on the field. All of his teammates trust him. We trust him. And he’s been a part of our success as far as the competition… The guy… pic.tvitter.com/GspMbvviKSN

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) November 24, 2025

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

Tyrese Martin continues to impress as he plays an expanded role with the Nets

With only starters on the listThe Nets moved Martin to the position and tasked him with increased ball-handling responsibilities. After a slow start to the season, he is finding his rhythm as a leader in the team’s backcourt.

“I’m just being aggressive. I know I didn’t start the season in my first 10 games the way I wanted to and help this team,” Martin said after Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. “Mentally I was a mess, but then I kind of snapped out of it five games ago and just let myself play free mentally and not think about how I played. I just think about how I’m going to play going forward. And it worked for me. So that’s ideally my role, just go out and help the team in a positive way the last five games. And I felt like these five games.”

Martin played a critical role off the bench during the Nets’ best performances this season. The former second-round pick 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 in Brooklyn’s three wins.

GM Sean Marks ‘looking for next Nets’ as the team moves forward in its rebuild. Martin’s performance was enough to secure him a permanent role this season. Whether that’s enough to secure him a place in the team’s future plans remains to be seen.