The Athletic's final 2026 NBA mock draft put Nick Martinelli in the Phoenix Suns' plans, projecting the Northwestern forward to go No. 47. That is not the same as a selection on draft night, but it is the clearest sign yet of where one prominent draft analyst sees him fitting as the 2026 NBA Draft approaches.
Martinelli is not getting this look by accident. At Northwestern, he was a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team choice and a two-time Academic All-American, then followed that up with a career year that reached 23 points per game, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 51% from the field and 41.7% from 3-point range. He had already shown scoring touch the year before, when he shot 33.3% from deep and averaged at least 20 points per game in both his junior and senior seasons.
That production helps explain why a late second-round slot is even on the table. A 6-foot-7 wing who can score at multiple levels and rebound at his position gives teams a defined offensive profile, and NBA.com's draft profile compared him with Keldon Johnson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tobias Harris. But the Suns' pick is still only a projection, not a guarantee, and the broader mock-draft picture has not been settled. Other versions had Phoenix tied to Jaden Bradley, Jeremy Fears Jr., a Vanderbilt wing, a Tennessee guard, a Tennessee shot-blocking center and Otega Oweh, which is a reminder that Martinelli is one option among several, not a universal verdict.
What matters next is simple: when the 2026 NBA Draft begins, the Suns will either confirm that projection at No. 47 or move in a different direction. Until then, Martinelli's name sits where mock drafts often place players who have earned real attention but not yet certainty.
