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Caleb Martin talks about his poor shooting performance as he begins his first Sixers season

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Philadelphia 76ers forward Caleb Martin does many important things on the basketball court to help a team win. The hustle makes the difference in close games. The external defense is intended to slow down the opponent's best goalscorer. The high basketball IQ is on display every night.

If there was any real criticism of Martin's play early in the season, it was his shooting. The 6-year-old forward from Nevada has had a difficult time from distance, shooting just 20% from distance to start the season. At some point the tide will turn for a guy who shoots 35.3% from distance in his career, but for now it's been quite a struggle.

“I mean, it's just like that, we've all been playing for a while so we all know how it goes and we've all been through it before and it never really gets any easier because everyone wants to shoot the ball pretty much “To be able to play and shoot the ball well as a team,” Martin told Sixers Wire after the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. “I think one of the things is just understanding how things are going and shooting your way out of the crisis. The only way to get out of a crisis is to keep shooting.”

Martin is not wrong. Basketball is a survival league, and some guys will go through a slump – even the great Steph Curry – but the most important factor is not losing confidence on the floor. These guys know what it's like to go through the ups and downs of an 82-game season, and eventually those missed shots will turn into scoring opportunities as long as he keeps working.

“That’s the advice,” he added. “Even I go through this every year. I'm sure everyone goes through this every year and just sticks with it, just stays consistent and just understands that eventually the tide will turn. I just have to stick with it consistently.”

Martin and the Sixers will look to avoid an 0-3 road loss when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

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