Nick Martinelli has already given the Clippers plenty to like, and the summer league only turned up the volume.
Los Angeles took Martinelli with the 55th pick, and even before he stepped on the floor this summer, there was a case to be made. At Northwestern, he put up 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 51.0% from the field and 41.7% from three.
Then he hit the summer league and backed it up in a big way. Martinelli averaged 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists, and the shooting numbers jumped off the page: 60.4% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc.
The film matched the box score. Martinelli kept finding ways to score in the paint, using an unconventional style that seemed to catch defenders off guard.
Sometimes he got the shot off before the defense could react. Other times, his awkward movement created just enough disruption to finish the play anyway.
That kind of production has the Clippers looking like they did their homework. Martinelli has the look of one of those late-draft finds who keeps climbing once the games start getting real.
There’s still a long road ahead, though. Martinelli is on a two-way contract, so he won’t jump straight into Tyronn Lue’s rotation. He’ll have to earn every minute that comes his way.
But Clippers fans have seen this kind of path before. Kobe Sanders was in a similar spot just a year ago, and after things worked out, he’s now viewed by many as the steal of the draft.
Martinelli has a chance to follow that same track. He already brings the college résumé, the playstyle and the work ethic to make it happen.
He also showed he can deliver when asked to do more. Against the Washington Wizards, with Keaton Wagler resting, Martinelli went for 19 points, five rebounds and two steals while shooting 8-9 from the field and 3-3 from three. The Clippers needed him to step up, and he helped lead LA to a double-digit win.
For now, the early signs are hard to miss. Martinelli has looked legit, and he’s made a strong case that he could be the kind of player other teams wish they had taken.
In Other News...
Clippers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Frontcourt Concern
The Clippers have added another big body to the mix, agreeing to a two-way contract with free-agent center Jamarion Sharp, according to his agent Scott Nichols. Sharp went undrafted in 2024 and has spent most of his pro career in the G League, where his size and rim protection have made him a familiar name for teams looking for help around the basket.
Sharps appeal is obvious on the defensive end. He was named the NBAGL Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the G League All-Defensive team after leading the league in blocks, the kind of rsum that can make a low-risk signing worth a closer look. For the Clippers, it is another move aimed at shoring up the frontcourt while they wait for Yanic Konan Niederhauser to work his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers May Have Found A New Answer To Their Frontcourt Problem
The Clippers have been searching for more size and rim protection in the frontcourt, and a recent addition gives them a different kind of look. After turning heads in both the G League and Summer League, a towering 7-foot-5 center has earned a two-way deal, giving Los Angeles another developmental option as it tries to patch together depth around the basket.
What makes the move notable is the defensive rsum behind it. He arrives after being named the G League Defensive Player of the Year and leading the league in blocks, a profile that fits a team still managing frontcourt uncertainty while Yanic Konan Niederhauser continues to work back from foot procedures. For a Clippers group that has been hunting for answers inside, this is the sort of low-risk swing that could matter if the shot-blocking translates. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Fans Just Got Another Reason To Debate A Risky Trade Fit
A speculative three-team trade idea has floated into the conversation around the Clippers, Lakers and Mavericks, and it is the kind of proposal that instantly invites debate because it asks each side to give up something useful. In the framework, Dallas would land Cameron Christie and Jarred Vanderbilt while the Clippers would come away with Daniel Gafford, a move that would reshape the frontcourt picture for Los Angeles in a pretty significant way.
For the Clippers, the appeal is obvious enough to understand even before any team takes the idea seriously: Gafford brings size, rim protection and a very different look in the middle. The question is whether that kind of fit is worth the price of doing business in a deal that is still only a concept, especially when the margins around roster-building can change quickly once a rumored trade starts getting picked apart. [Read more 🡒]