Northwestern star forward Nick Martinelli, the Big Ten scoring leader this season, declared for the NBA Draft on Wednesday while while maintaining his remaining year of college eligibility.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported that should Martinelli opt out of the draft, he is not entering the portal and remains committed to finishing his career at Northwestern.
Martinelli's decision would have been shocking when you think back to just a year ago, when he averaged 8.8 points per game and started just 11 of the Wildcats' 34 games in their NCAA Tournament run.
But a lot can change in a year, and Martinelli exploded onto the scene as a junior, averaging 20.5 points per game to become the first Northwestern player to lead the Big Ten in scoring since John Shurna in 2012. His heroics helped the Wildcats secure a winning record despite season-ending injuries to starters Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach.
While Northwestern has not had a player drafted into the NBA since Evan Eschmeyer was the 34th overall pick in the 1999 Draft, recent Wildcat stars like Chase Audige, Boo Buie and Barnhizer have all put their names into the process with a year of eligibility left. Audige kept his name in the first time, foregoing the 2023-24 season to pursue a pro career and earning a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards. Buie and Barnhizer both returned to Northwestern for their final years.
Martinelli's path this offseason is more likely to follow Buie's and Barnhizer's. Those two players entered the pre-draft process for an opportunity to go through workouts, receive valuable feedback from NBA front offices and then come back for their final season to put their plans into action.
In the 2023 cycle, Buie entered his name in the draft in early April and announced his return a month later. He put together a second First Team All-Big Ten campaign the following year, entered the draft in earnest in 2024 after exhausting his eligibility and currently plays for the New York Knicks' G-League affiliate.
Last year, Barnhizer followed the same blueprint, entering his name in the process and announcing his return on May 29. Things didn't work out as well for Barnhizer; he suffered a foot injury over the summer and fought it all year before reinjuring it and pulling the plug on his season in January. Barnhizer hopes to be cleared in early May and work towards the same Summer League and two-way opportunities that Audige and Buie obtained.
Martinelli's move is a smart one coming off of a dazzling career year that earned him Second Team All-Big Ten honors, even though many believed he should have been a member of the First Team.
The statement Martinelli posted on X closed with a note about his remaining eligibility, combined with his early absence from industry standard draft boards like Givony's Top 100 prospect list, strongly indicate the next month or two will be more about Martinelli getting insight into his game before he writes the closing chapter of his career back at Northwestern.
A pre-draft process is never set in stone, so Martinelli's stock may see a meteoric rise, but it's far more likely he gets input on areas of improvement and returns for his last season in purple.
The 6-foot-7 forward shot 33.3% from on 3-pointers this season, a number that pro scouts will want to see tick up for next season. It's unlikely that Martinelli will see the same defensive focus he faces at the college level as a pro, but you can expect scouts will also want to see his progression as a passer after averaging just 1.7 assists per game this season, when he faced a steady stream of double-teams.
Buie and Barnhizer both vouched for the run of NBA workouts, training and feedback as a key to their progression as they went into their final seasons. If Martinelli can get the same boost to his game and returns to Northwestern, it will benefit the Wildcats as much as him.
