How to Guard Caleb Martin
Caleb does most of his damage from at the rim (36% of his attempts) and is a below-the-arc scorer. The plan below is built from where he actually shoots this season.
Where Caleb scores
Share of his 2025-26 field-goal attempts by zone, with how efficiently he finishes each. This is the map the game plan is built on.
The scouting report: how to defend Caleb
Wall off the paint early
Caleb takes 36% of his shots at the rim and finishes 69.1% there. Build the wall before he turns the corner and force the ball back out rather than meeting him at the cup.
Go under screens, sag into the paint
He is a lower-volume or below-average outside shooter (35.1% on 57 attempts). You can go under ball screens and sink into the paint to take away the drive and dare him to settle for the jumper.
Quiet edges on Caleb
- Barely affected by tight contests — 60.0% contested vs 36.2% open. Contest quality matters more than contest frequency.
- Highly volatile scorer — std dev of 4.8 PPG (coefficient of variation 0.72). Some nights 35, some nights 12. Game plan should account for both versions.
Get Caleb's full matchup plan
HoopBrief turns this shot profile into a complete plan: the exact coverage to run, positioning, what to take away first, and the mistake to avoid, in your own coaching lens. Ask it directly.
Frequently asked questions
How do you guard Caleb Martin?
Wall off the paint early: Caleb takes 36% of his shots at the rim and finishes 69.1% there. Build the wall before he turns the corner and force the ball back out rather than meeting him at the cup. Go under screens, sag into the paint: He is a lower-volume or below-average outside shooter (35.1% on 57 attempts). You can go under ball screens and sink into the paint to take away the drive and dare him to settle for the jumper.
What is Caleb Martin's biggest weakness on offense?
Relative to the rest of his shot diet, Caleb is least efficient on his in the paint (floaters) attempts (26.5% on 34 shots this season). Steering him toward that shot, rather than the ones he makes at a high rate, is the statistical edge.
Is Caleb Martin a good three-point shooter?
Caleb has taken 57 three-pointers this season and made 20 of them (35.1%). That share of his offense (30.2% of his attempts) is what decides whether you chase him over screens or sag under them.
How many points per game does Caleb Martin average?
Caleb is averaging 3.9 points per game this season, along with 1.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds. Scoring volume is why he draws the defensive game plan on this page.
How to guard other players
Shot-profile and box-score figures reflect Caleb Martin's 2025-26 season. Defensive recommendations are generated from that shot distribution and are teaching guidance, not a guarantee of outcome.