The former Wildcats captain will likely hear his name called during June's NBA Draft.
With the NBA Draft less than a month away, front offices are crafting their big boards and evaluating prospects to ensure they select the best possible fits for their teams.
Former Northwestern star Nick Martinelli has already completed workouts with the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks, and the lefty now has one more confirmed tryout on his calendar. On Sunday, the Sacramento Kings announced that Martinelli was one of six players the franchise would host in a Monday pre-draft workout.
Misfortune struck the Kings during this month's NBA Draft Lottery. Following a season in which the team finished with a Western Conference-worst 22-60 record, Sacramento slid to the seventh overall pick, firmly putting the franchise out of the range of the top four projected "stars."
Instead, Sacramento will likely end up with a top guard at No. 7 overall, such as Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Illinois' Keaton Wagler, Houston's Kingston Flemings, Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. or Arizona's Brayden Burries. That could put the Kings as an ideal landing spot for Martinelli in the second round.
Sacramento has two second-round draft picks at Nos. 34 and 45 overall. Martinelli has widely been projected to be selected in the 40s or 50s — going as high as No. 44 overall to the Spurs in Kevin O'Connor's latest mock draft — and could absolutely be on the table when the Kings are on the clock.
The Kings are entering a rebuild, so it makes sense for the front office to target freshmen and other young players. However, the roster is also quite short on talent, and that's a void that Martinelli can certainly fill.
Northwestern's senior forward led the Big Ten in scoring for the second consecutive season this winter, averaging 23.0 points per game on 51.0% shooting and 41.7% from three. He was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team while breaking his own program records for the most points and shots made in a single season.
Additionally, Martinelli brought in 6.2 rebounds and dished out a career-best 2.0 assists per game.
At 6-foot-7, Martinelli is undersized for a traditional NBA power forward and doesn't have the athleticism to fit the mold of a 3-and-D wing. However, his lefty hook shot was unstoppable at the NCAA level, and if there's one thing the lowly Kings could use more of, it's scoring.
