Nick Martinelli is a left-handed scoring wing that plays aggressively. Martinelli averaged 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while leading the Big Ten in scoring. He stayed all four seasons at Northwestern, and he is a wing we trust. He seems to genuinely love the game of basketball, and that matters. At 6'7" with a 6'10" wingspan and a 223-pound frame, Martinelli has enough size to be evaluated as a NBA wing. He is wired to score, and he is going to get his shots up, even though his usage will almost certainly come way down in the NBA. To his credit, Martinelli improved as a passer this season, posting a 1.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The shooting improvement is encouraging. Martinelli went from 27.0% from three-point range in 2023-24, to 33.3% in 2024-25, before jumping to 41.7% this season. He also shot 80.9% from the free throw line. We like his ability to draw fouls with his strong shoulders and array of movements, giving him more offensive utility than just spot-up shooting. The defense will have to improve for Martinelli to stick in the NBA. Northwestern was 3.3 points per 100 possessions better defensively with Martinelli on the bench. That is a significant concern, especially because Martinelli tested as a below-average athlete by NBA standards. He posted a 33" max vertical and had the third-slowest three-quarter court sprint time at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine. Still, his scoring instincts, improved shooting, foul-drawing, physicality, and love for the game make him an interesting wing. We think Martinelli goes in the mid-to-late second round.
