Memphis Grizzlies select Jarell Martin with No. 25 pick in 2015 NBA draft
Memphis Grizzlies selected former LSU guard Jarell Martin with the No. 25 pick in 2015 NBA draft on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.
Martin averaged 16.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 35.1 minutes per game during his 2014–15 sophomore season with the Tigers.
The 6'10", 236-pound Martin is one of two potential draft picks, along with forward Jordan Mickey, birthed by this past season's LSU squad.
The Tigers finished the season 22–11, losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
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Mannix's analysis: Memphis intensified its look at power forwards in recent weeks, and Jarell Martin is one of the best of the remaining bunch. His skills don’t exactly mirror Zach Randolph’s. By comparison, Martin is more like Thaddeus Young. He is a transition player who can get to the basket and is a solid ballhandler. If Martin develops, he’s a nice change of pace type forward to fill in for Randolph.
Grade: B
Strengths: When watching Martin, it’s obvious he possess exceptional athleticism and quickness for a player his size. His leaping ability (34.5" max vertical at the NBA draft combine) allowed him to get up and finish with the best in college basketball last season and also makes him a force on the offensive glass. He runs the floor like a gazelle and truly thrives in transition. In the half-court, he utilizes a polished face-up game that extends to about 15 feet out. He can both roll to the basket in the pick-and-roll or pop out to set up his solid mid-range game. Defensively, he’s shown the ability to body up bigger opponents one-on-one on the block as well.
Weaknesses: Martin regressed shooting-wise from the outside in his second collegiate season, shooting just 26.9% from three-point land after converting 33.3% of his attempts from outside as a freshman. He also struggles scoring in the post, which is a major factor in his preference to face-up when looking to score. His awareness hurts him defensively in terms of rotations and positioning, which impacts defensive rebounding. For a player who attacks the offensive glass in his own right, Martin loses far too many offensive rebounds to his opponents. His average length and wingspan might turn a few teams off as well.
