rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Kate Martin has the opportunity to showcase her skills in the first season of Unrivaled. The former Las Vegas Aces guard is playing for Laces BC, making an early impact on one of the best teams in the young league. After they finished the first week of competition boasting a 2-0 record, Martin was praised by a four-time WNBA champion.
Sue Bird and her fianceé Megan Rapinoe touched on several topics in Thursday’s edition of their “A Touch More” show. Among other topics, they talked about the first week of Unrivaled, highlighting how well Laces played, with Bird saying they have found their identity before anybody else.
“This is a six-team league. So much is gonna change as it goes, but now the Laces have found themselves first. When I watch them play, they have found themselves first. They’re 2-0, Jackie [Young] hasn’t even played. Honestly, I knew AT [Alyssa Thomas] was gonna be a problem in this. It’s the versatility in the playmaking.
More than that, she lauded Kate Martin for finding her spot within the team and excel at it.
“But Kate Martin is kinda doing her thing too. This is a great team, a great role for Kate Martin,” Bird said.
The Laces made their debut on Saturday with a clear commanding 86-48 win over Phantom, a team with stars like Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner and Satou Sabally.
On Monday, they weren’t as prolific scoring-wise, but still secured a 20-point win over Mist, 63-43, to finish the first week undefeated.
They will return to action on Friday against Vinyl before closing out Week 2 against Rose on Monday.
Kate Martin stats after week Unrivaled week
Kate Martin averaging 9.0 minutes per game, but it’s maximizing her opportunities, posting 11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per outing. She’s the fourth-best scorer on the team behind Kayla McBride (24.5 ppg), Alyssa Thomas (15.0 ppg) and Tiffany Hayes (15.0 ppg), respectively.
The best part for Laces is that Jackie Young is yet to play this season and once the Las Vegas Aces player takes the court, the squad will be considerably more dangerous.
After a discreet rookie season with the Aces, Martin was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft back in December. She’s an intriguing talent for the youngest WNBA franchise and this Unrivaled experience can help her take her game to new heights.
Edited by Orlando Silva
