The Sacramento Kings' third-year guard grew up in Zanesville, Ohio (population roughly 26,000), 50 miles east of Columbus, and played at Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C. (population 3,600), near Tennessee's eastern border.

On the court, however, the wispy 6-7, 190-pound dead-eye shooter, labeled a "mini-me" by former Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller, has a game that has ballooned to the size of the state he works in — California. "He's for real," Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni says.

Martin, 23, was recruited by only two schools coming out of a state where he was fourth in voting for Mr. Basketball and left on the 2004 draft table until the 26th pick largely because his slight frame made him look "like a 15-year-old kid," Kings general manager Geoff Petrie says.

"I had something to prove," Martin says.

He seized the few opportunities thrown his way and has emerged as one of the NBA's biggest surprises and most improved players. "Every time you give him an opportunity, he jumps at it," Kings coach Eric Musselman says.

Martin is one of the joys of a streaky season for the Kings, who enter Thursday night's home game against the defending champion Miami Heat (TNT, 10:30 ET) coming off stretches of four wins in a row, three losses in a row, three wins in a row and now four losses in a row.

Entering Wednesday, Martin:

• Has one of the league's biggest scoring increases (11.1 points) and the highest average for a top-20 scorer among players taking 15 or fewer shots a game (21.9 points). He averages 13.7 shots. The only other player averaging 20-plus with 15 or fewer shots is Toronto's 6-10, 230-pound Chris Bosh.

•Is the only one averaging more than 20 points (tied for 18th in the NBA), shooting better than 50% from the field (18th), at least 40% from three-point range (11th) and better than 90% from the line (10th). The only one to end a season with those numbers is Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who did it twice. (Two-time MVP Steve Nash, who meets those percentage minimums this season, averages 19.9 points.)

Martin's breakout season is not only a product of opportunity — the Kings traded shooter Peja Stojakovic last January and did not re-sign free agent Bonzi Wells in the summer — but of a gym-rat work ethic and voracious appetite to improve.

Musselman says he has never encountered a player like him. "After bad games, he watches video and text messages me. He'll want to know about fighting through a screen or pick and roll."

He got an inkling of what Martin is all about when he asked him to return to a summer league for a second offseason, a request players often dismiss after two years in the league. But Martin embraced it and Musselman's goal: lead the league in free throws.

He expanded his game with an attacking style that has complemented his outside shooting touch. Martin goes to the line an average of 6.5 times and ranks 20th in free throw attempts. He also worked hours on his own. Musselman, hired June 3 to replace Rick Adelman, says a day didn't go by in the summer without seeing Martin in the Kings' practice facility.

"Weekends, I went in at 7, 8 at night, and he'd be in there shooting," he says. "And he's taken weight-lifting seriously."

Martin says he took up to 700 jump shots a day: "I just matured. It's growing as a player."

Making the most of his chances

And getting the opportunity.

Buffalo and Western Carolina were the only schools to recruit him out of high school, and Western Carolina the only one to offer a scholarship. "I think it was because I was a late bloomer," Martin says.

He used the slight as motivation. "Every time we played a big-time program, I felt like it was my chance to show them I should be there."

Martin says he could have transferred to Florida or Ohio State after his freshman year but was comfortable at Western Carolina, where he became the school's fourth-leading scorer. It was the small town in him. "Everybody knows everybody in Cullowhee," he says. "It was a quiet atmosphere. I loved it there."

Mike Cawood, the sports information director at Western Carolina, says Martin was never comfortable talking about himself during his three years in school. "He's very unassuming," Cawood says.

Martin hasn't changed. "Not at all," teammate Ronnie Price says. "He's always having a good time."

Martin entered the 2004 draft as an early-entry candidate but didn't hear his name called until near the end of the first round. Petrie ignored his slight build and took a chance. "We thought he had a really good combination of size, athleticism and skill level," Petrie says.

Again, however, Martin had to wait for his turn. He played little his rookie season and was left off the playoff roster, what he describes as a wake-up call: "It made me realize I wasn't even close to the player I wanted to be at the time."

Opportunity finally knocked last season, when Martin stepped in for an injured Wells and averaged 13.7 points in 41 games. "You could see the potential was there to be a real legitimate scorer," Petrie says.

Martin kept it up in the playoffs, scoring 26 in Game 2 vs. the San Antonio Spurs and winning Game 3 with a buzzer-beating layup. In training camp, he won the job and allayed worries about who would pick up the scoring load left by the absences of Stojakovic and Wells.

"His growth, his maturity, his acceptance of responsibility has been phenomenal," Musselman says.

A 'mini-me' of Miller

Martin's eye-popping season has brought comparisons to Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons and Miller, now a TNT analyst, because of similar body types and games.

"I love him," Miller says. "I love how active he is. What's impressed me the most is his shot selection is terrific. He produces, but not with a high volume of shots. I always called Rip (Hamilton) a mini-me. But Martin is a real mini-me."

The praise flatters Martin, whose contained ego has endeared him to teammates. In the locker room, Martin and backcourt mate Mike Bibby are the comedians. "He's not quiet," Bibby says.

Martin earned the nickname K-Mart in high school, but that belongs to Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets. So teammates have taken to calling him "Prince" because he looks a lot like the singer.

These days, he's looking a lot like an All-Star, too.

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