Nick Martinelli played in 120 games with 77 starts over four seasons at Northwestern, so there’s plenty of film out there to show NBA teams what he could bring them.
But the two-time Big Ten scoring leader, known for his unorthodox midrange game, believed he still had more to show during games at the NBA draft combine last week at Wintrust Arena. Martinelli had 18 points, three rebounds and two assists in one game Wednesday and 13 points, five rebounds and a block in the second game Thursday as he tried to boost his draft stock.
“It’s definitely a step up in the level of play,” he said. “These are guys that are going to be playing in NBA games in the future. Them getting to see me getting to play against only players that are fighting for the NBA jobs is hopefully going to do good things for me.”
The 6-foot-7 forward from Glenview is looking to take the next step in his career after averaging 20.5 points as a junior and 23 as a senior at Northwestern. He said he needs to work more “on everything, basically,” noting his shooting and athleticism are both focuses.
“I definitely think I can get better in those aspects, but that comes with time,” he said. “God willing, I can play 10, 15 more years, so that’s a lot of time to get better at those things.”
Martinelli’s last two seasons at Northwestern didn’t end the way he would have liked. The Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament both seasons, finishing 15-19 in 2026.
If Martinelli can bring something from that experience into the draft process, it’s that he’s motivated to win.
“I’m just going to do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “Going through two years of losing, you definitely want to get back on that winning track. It’s hard to not be able to contribute to winning the last two years. So that’s definitely something that irks me a little bit and something I want to get back to.”
After the Wildcats’ season ended in the Big Ten Tournament in mid-March, Martinelli worked out at Northwestern. Coach Chris Collins sometimes came down to remind him not to overdo it, a running theme during Martinelli’s time in Evanston.
Martinelli said Collins always told him to get a hobby. He once sent Collins a photo of a guitar in his room to appease him. He never learned to play though.
“I’m so particular about being in the gym and getting my work in, sometimes I tend to overdo it,” Martinelli said. “He’s just making sure my legs are fresh. He always comes down and he’s like, ‘Man, just go to the training room.’”
The Athletic’s May 10 mock draft had Martinelli going in the second round at No. 54 to the Golden State Warriors, while ESPN’s latest mock draft had him at No. 57 to the Atlanta Hawks. Martinelli, who spoke multiple times about relying on his faith during the draft process, said he probably would shed a few tears if he is picked.
“It would be more so about my family getting to see that,” he said. “They’ve got bigger dreams than I’ve got for myself. That would be big-time.”
Playing his role
Illinois guard Kylan Boswell understood what teams were looking for from him during the combine games last week: all-out effort on both ends of the floor.
“A team isn’t picking me up because they need me to go out there and score for them,” he said. “My job for whatever team I get on is to guard the best way I can, have the right mentality, facilitate, and that’s all I’ve been trying to do.”
Boswell averaged 12.3 points, four rebounds and three assists in his senior season. He wasn’t asked to score as much because of the depth of talent around him, including potential top-five pick Keaton Wagler. But the Illini did rely on Boswell to play lockdown defense on the other team’s best player — often regardless of position — and to provide a steady presence and leadership.
He hopes teams can see the “selflessness” he brings to the table.
“I feel like that’s been my character the last two years, just growing as a person, as a man,” he said. “It just shows I can operate within a system. I’m trying my best to continue to make the right plays for my teammates. It shows I can be a role player for whatever team that takes me and just operate in that system.”
Boswell said his body has taken a bit of a beating as he transitioned from Illinois’ Final Four run to participating in the Portsmouth Invitational to training in California to working out and playing in the games at the combine. He met with multiple teams but planned to work out for teams after he returned to California from Chicago.
He has worked mostly on his conditioning, knowing the NBA would require him to defend and push the pace at a different level than he did in college.
Boswell, who was projected as the No. 58 pick in ESPN’s mock draft, said maintaining confidence has been key to this process.
“Where I’m projected is not a concept to me,” he said. “I know I belong in the NBA and I know I can have an impact in the NBA, so the trust in all of that is huge. Having the confidence in yourself to put the work in is No. 1, but being out there and playing the right way is the biggest thing.”
Stay or go?
Illinois’ Andrej Stojaković is weighing this month whether he will remain in the draft or return to Champaign for a final season, and he’s not the only one with Big Ten connections with a decision to make.
Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell, who transferred to Duke after considering Illinois and UCLA, are among the players going through the same process.
Fears, who is from Joliet, said he was looking for “good feedback” from the process that would let him know where he stands. He believes he’s a first-round talent after averaging 15.2 points and a Big Ten-leading 9.4 assists. ESPN projected Fears to be picked at No. 47 by the Phoenix Suns.
“That’s a big thing, if I can get a first-round spot,” he said. “My dream is to play professional, play in the NBA, so that’s for sure a big dream. And if not, then go back to college and try to work my way up and get that.”
After a season in which he felt like he better learned when to make the right play at the right time, Fears said most of the feedback he received from NBA teams was that he could be a backup point guard in the league. He was fine with hearing that.
“Everyone has a role,” he said. “It’s only a certain amount of superstars that there is in a league. Everyone can’t be a superstar. So if that’s my role, I want to be a star in my role. … If it leads to winning, that’s the only thing I care about.”
Fears’ younger brother Jeremiah just played his rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Fears said he has used him as a resource to understand what’s ahead on his potential NBA path.
Blackwell, who averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, was looking to improve his draft stock through the combine and pre-draft workouts but said he also knows he could improve it at Duke next season. He said he picked the Blue Devils because the coaches “kept it real” with how they would play him and also because he likes the mix of players returning from the Elite Eight team.
“Competing against those guys every single day is only going to make me better,” he said. “And just the brand of Duke. You’re playing on the biggest stage in the country.”
Meanwhile, one key piece of Michigan’s national championship team that was previously undecided is making the jump to the NBA.
Morez Johnson Jr., who played at Thornton and spent one season at Illinois before transferring to Michigan, announced on social media that he was staying in the NBA draft. Johnson, who originally declared while maintaining his eligibility, is a potential first-round pick.
He said at the combine that Michigan coach Dusty May was supportive and “not pressuring me to come back at all” after a sophomore season in which he averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.
