Nick

Martinelli

Martinelli didn’t start in his first summer league game, but he ended up playing 22 minutes off the bench. He was able to contribute some buckets and made some hustle plays. Martinelli was the 55th pick in the draft last month, and while he should get more opportunities this summer, it is unlikely to carry over into a large role next season for the Clippers.

After coming off the bench for most of his first two seasons at Northwestern, Martinelli was one of the best players in the Big Ten each of his last two seasons. Leading the conference in scoring both seasons, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.4 three-pointers in 2025-26, shooting 51.0 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three and 80.9 percent from the foul line. A capable scorer on all three levels, the question for Martinelli is whether he can defend well enough to stick. The pick has been moved twice, with the Knicks sending it to Houston and the Rockets moving it to the Clippers in a separate deal.