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The news today that Jarell Martin may have been promised a mid-first-round selection in the 2015 NBA draft is surprising to many, but I couldn’t be happier. As a Toronto Raptors writer, I’ve been hyping up the LSU Tigers star for weeks now, driving the bandwagon when no one else knew it existed.
That’s still the case: draftexpress.com has him ranked No. 39 on their latest draft board, and an analyst from CBS chose even fellow Tiger Jordan Mickey over Martin when asked to pick between the two. I’ve maintained that Martin has the talent worthy of a first-round selection, such as the Raptors’ No. 20 pick, and that claim appears to be correct should this rumor hold true. Martin will reportedly cancel future workouts and commit to whichever team offered him the pick.
The question remains: Could the Raptors, in fact, be that team who gave him the first-round promise? No. 20 is in the middle of the first round; any higher and Martin probably would have continued to work out for teams and improve his stock that way.
Obviously, I would be very pleased if the Raptors are the team that made the promise, but the odds are understandably low. Raps GM Masai Ujiri likes to keep his options open as often as possible, and making a guarantee like this could handcuff him during the draft should he want to make a trade or pick a lottery player that fell to No. 20. Moreover, there hasn’t been explicit word about the Raptors attending one of Martin’s workouts.
On the other hand, Ujiri did all but promise to take Bruno Caboclo in last year’s draft, so there is some precedent. One key difference, though, is that the Raptors kept the Caboclo pick a secret — as was seen in the dumbfounded reactions by analysts at draft night.
Whether he ends up with the Raptors or with a different franchise picking in the middle of the first round, I have little doubt in my mind that Martin will be a great addition to his team. He’s a hard worker and will have an immediate impact running the floor, finishing lobs and attacking the glass in the NBA due to his hops. Going further, he has an intriguing off-the-dribble game — a unique skill for an NBA power forward, much less a college power forward projected to go in the second round. He also has a good-looking jump shot that he releases quickly and can go to off the dribble or spotting up.
Finally, he’s relatively new to basketball. He says he’s only been playing the game for around four years, which is insane. Two of those years were in college, which means he had only been playing for two years when he got to LSU. Translation: Martin has a ton of upside, provided he wants to learn and wants to get better. And from what I’ve seen in interviews, this shouldn’t be a problem. The other benefit of his inexperience is that it makes his college shortcomings (poor passer, inconsistent on defense, etc.) more excusable. You can’t expect a newcomer to the game to have mastered all its elements.
I look forward to seeing what team takes Martin on draft day, and if indeed it is a team in the first round. If it’s the Raptors, that would be great; the team desperately needs a new power forward.
Casey Sherman is the Toronto Raptors Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @shermham
