NBA Comparison: Joe Ingles / Max Strus

Strengths: A skilled 6’8” left-handed forward who consistently found ways to put points on the board despite lacking elite athletic tools … Possesses outstanding feel for the game and a throwback style built around footwork, touch, timing, and intelligence rather than explosiveness … Highly productive offensive player who led the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons while carrying a massive offensive burden for Northwestern … Excellent floater game and touch in the lane … Lives off drives into the paint where he utilizes craft, angles, body control, and patience to create scoring opportunities … Consistently finishes difficult shots on the move and displays impressive touch around the basket … Smart player who understands how to manipulate defenders and use pace to his advantage … Excellent passer for a scoring forward and sees the floor well … Unselfish player capable of making advanced reads and keeping an offense flowing … Strong rebounder for a wing, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game in each of his final two collegiate seasons … Uses strength, positioning, and anticipation to compete effectively on the glass … Strong-bodied forward with a sturdy 223-pound frame that allows him to absorb contact and play through physicality … Tough competitor who plays with confidence and determination … Gym-rat type with a relentless work ethic and clear belief in his abilities … Mature prospect who turns just 22 during the draft year, notably younger than many of the 24- and 25-year-old second-round candidates in this class … Proven leader and team captain with extensive high-major experience … Improved significantly as a shooter, connecting on 41.7% from three-point range as a senior while posting an outstanding 51.0% FG, 41.7% 3PT, and 80.9% FT shooting line … Solid positional measurements for a combo forward, including a 6’10” wingspan and 8’8.5” standing reach … Doesn’t rely on athleticism and has consistently overcome physical limitations through intelligence, skill, competitiveness, and polish … Low turnover player despite carrying a massive offensive workload.

Weaknesses: Lacks great overall athleticism and does not possess the physical upside teams typically seek in NBA wings … Measured just a 26.5-inch standing vertical and 33-inch max vertical at the NBA Draft Combine, numbers that reinforce concerns about his explosiveness … Below-average first step limits his ability to consistently create separation against high-level defenders … Can struggle generating offense when matched against lengthy and athletic opponents … Relies heavily on craft and skill because he lacks the speed to simply blow by defenders … Foot speed is a concern on both ends of the floor … May have difficulty defending quicker NBA wings and guards in space … Not an above-the-rim athlete and rarely plays vertically … While he improved as a senior, he projects more as a good shooter than an elite specialist … Career shooting numbers of 36.2% from three-point range, including 30.0% as a junior, and 76.5% from the free throw line suggest his senior-year shooting may represent the high end of his range rather than the norm … Shooting mechanics are generally solid, but he occasionally fails to fully extend and follow through on his release … Struggles at times to create separation on drives and can be forced into difficult, contested attempts … Limited shot-creation upside at the professional level … Older prospect compared to most lottery candidates and does not offer the same developmental runway as younger players … Questions remain about whether his scoring style will translate as effectively against NBA athletes.

Outlook: Martinelli is one of the most productive and accomplished scorers in college basketball entering the 2026 NBA Draft … A two-time Big Ten scoring champion and one of the most decorated players in Northwestern history, he leaves school with an impressive résumé built on production, consistency, and toughness … His combination of size, skill, feel for the game, and maturity should generate interest during the second round … There are shades of both Joe Ingles and Max Strus in his game, particularly in the way he compensates for average physical tools with intelligence, competitiveness, and offensive versatility … Projects as a second-round pick with a chance to earn an NBA role as a connector, secondary scorer, and floor-spacing forward, though his game may ultimately be even better suited for high-level European basketball … Regardless of where he lands, his production and winning mentality give him a strong chance to enjoy a long professional career.

Notes: Measured 6’6.50” barefoot, 223.6 lbs, with a 6’10.00” wingspan, 8’8.50” standing reach, 26.5” no-step vertical, and 33.0” max vertical at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine … Senior Season (2025-26): 33 GP, 35.6 MPG, 51.0% FG, 41.7% 3PT, 80.9% FT, 6.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 1.4 TOPG, 23.0 PPG … Born: April 20, 2004 (Glenview, Illinois) … High School: Glenbrook South HS … Two-time Big Ten scoring champion … 2025-26 Associated Press First Team All-Big Ten … All-Big Ten Second Team … NABC All-District First Team … CSC Academic All-American First Team … Team captain … Finished career with 1,787 points, sixth-most in Northwestern history … Set Northwestern single-season records with 759 points and 268 field goals made in 2025-26 … Became the sixth player since 1990 to lead the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons … Recorded 46 career 20-point games and 24 career 25-point games … Scored in double figures in 57 of his final 59 collegiate games … Joined John Shurna as just the second forward in program history to score 1,600-plus career points … Totaled 1,435 points over his final two collegiate seasons, ranking among the nation’s most productive scorers during that span … Both older brothers played college basketball. Dom Martinelli played at Northwestern before transferring to St. Thomas, while eldest brother Jimmy Martinelli was a four-year starter at NYU from 2016-20 …

Aran Smith 6/18/26