Martinelli is one of the most accomplished players in Northwestern history. The old-school power forward uses brawn, touch and angles to make up for ground-bound athleticism.
About
Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2025-26.
Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2024-25.
Northwestern’s single-season, all-time leading scorer.
Strengths
Well-conditioned, physical frame who embraces a scrap. Martinelli rarely came off the floor for Northwestern and plays with so much force and power.
His trademarked “flipper” is one of the most unique shots in the draft class. Martinelli isn’t some insane athlete, but he has masterful touch in awkward places on the floor. That zip code right outside the restricted area is his playground. Shot 54% on floaters and 50% on hook shots, per Synergy. Those are both well above-average marks.
Very comfortable finding and attacking mismatches. Unselfish, willing passer whenever a double team gets sent his direction.
Weaknesses
Athleticism is lacking. Not a ton of vertical explosiveness, which shows up on the glass and with what he has access to offensively. Only threw down 14 dunks in 120 career college games.
Has turned himself into a rock-solid 3-point shooter, but the mechanics are a bit funky. Low release point and needs some time to wind up and fire.
Does not project to be much of a secondary rim protector. Will have to rely on physicality, timing, anticipation and understanding the scouting report to be an asset on defense.
Martinelli signed a two-way contract with the Clippers on Monday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
The Clippers traded for Martinelli's draft rights in the 2026 NBA Draft and will now bring him on as a two-way player. The 22-year-old forward will likely spend most of his time with the club's G League affiliate, the San Diego Clippers. Over 33 starts at Northwestern in 2025-26, he averaged 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 41.7 percent from deep in 35.6 minutes per game.
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Clippers' Nick Martinelli: Traded to Clippers
Rotowire
The Knicks selected Martinelli with the No. 55 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Rockets, who then traded his rights to the Clippers for the No. 57 pick and cash considerations, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Martinelli will now head to Los Angeles after spending his college career at Northwestern. The 22-year-old logged 120 regular-season games for the Wildcats, though he averaged a career-best 23.0 points with 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.8 steals and 41.7 percent shooting from deep across 35.6 minutes in 33 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. It's unknown what the roster will look like for the Clippers come the 2026-27 campaign. However, if there aren't significant changes made in the next few months, Martinelli could be in line for a prominent role right out of the gate.
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