Although she hasn’t played too many minutes for the Las Vegas Aces, rookie Kate Martin has earned herself a lot of fans during her brief WNBA tenure. 

The former Iowa Hawkeye standout was selected by the Aces with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Considering that Martin wasn’t considered an obvious draft choice, fans were glad to see her get chosen.

Yet, since there are only 144 roster spots available in the WNBA, just because Martin got drafted didn’t necessarily guarantee she’d make the team.

But, sure enough, she did.

And Aces head coach Becky Hammon explained why in a recent interview.

“Her work ethic, her competitiveness and her brain,” Hammon responded, when asked about why Martin became a member of the Aces.

“What I love about her is I know what I’m getting when I put her in the game. It’s going to be effort, it’s going to be smart effort, it’s going to be tough effort,” Hammon added.

There’s still a lot Martin must prove if she’s to become a WNBA mainstay. But her coach’s comments show that she’s off to a great start.