To help readers get to know top NBA draft prospects, Insider offers a 360-degree look at many of them in a concise and thorough scouting report featuring three expert perspectives: Kevin Pelton (analytics), Fran Fraschilla (scouting) and Chad Ford (NBA front offices). Here's a look at Martin.
The analytics perspective
Kevin Pelton: The biggest red flag in Jarell Martin's statistics is his poor rebounding rate. As a freshman, Martin rebounded at a below-average rate for any college player, let alone a big man. His rebound percentage was more respectable as a sophomore, but Martin's projection would still put him among the bottom five power forwards in my college database. The rest of this group is made up of stretch bigs like Grant Jerrett, Ryan Kelly and Erik Murphy, along with Adonis Thomas.
Although shooting is Martin's lone statistical strength, he's not really a perimeter threat. He barely climbed over the threshold to make this a strength for power forwards by virtue of making 33.3 percent of his 3-point attempts as a freshman before dropping to 26.9 percent in Year 2. If you wanted to consider him a small forward, this strength would immediately become a weakness.
The scouting perspective
Fran Fraschilla: The first time I saw Martin play early in his freshman season, my first thought was, "He looks and carries himself like an NBA player." Whether he turns into one is still a mystery, but given his 6-foot-9, 235-pound frame, his agility and high-flying athleticism, there will be healthy discussion about him among NBA teams.
I see Martin as a classic NBA tweener at forward. He has the average size of a power forward with a good body type and good, not great, strength for this stage of his development. (He'll turn 21 on May 24.) At this point he lacks a polished post-up game, but he has good hands and agility around the basket and made 69 percent of his shots at the rim, according to hoop-math.com. For his size, Martin should be both a better offensive and defensive rebounder. And defensively, he did get pushed around at times around the basket in the SEC.
It's possible that with work to improve his perimeter skills, Martin can eventually play small forward. Although he handles the ball well in a straight line, his ability to create his own plays can be improved. And Martin's outside shooting is inconsistent. In two seasons at LSU, he shot 31 percent from behind the arc. This season he made just 27 percent of his 2-point jump shots, as well, according to hoop-math.com. Fundamentally, however, it is not a completely broken shooting stroke.
Although Martin's lateral quickness has not been an issue in defending college players thus far, the step up in competition offensively will be problematic at first. NBA small forwards are hard to stay in front of. It will be one of the many adjustments he will need to make.
Given that the NBA draft's first round has become a crapshoot in recent years, Martin will excite some teams toward its back end because there is less of a bust factor. I think that he has a chance to develop into a good NBA prospect if he has the work ethic needed to improve on his weaknesses. He already looks the part.
The front-office perspective
Chad Ford: Martin has been hovering as a late-first to early-second-round pick since the start of his freshman year. He ranked as a top-10 high school senior, although scouts felt his lack of elite size and his tweener game would always keep him from being a lottery pick. That has generally held true during both years at LSU.
While he has an NBA frame, is athletic, irebounds successfully and finishes well at the rim, Martin never really developed the perimeter game to be an NBA 3 and lacks elite size and length to be an NBA 4. He's stuck with the dreaded tweener label -- a virtual death knell for talented, athletic players who don't have a clear position in the pros.
Martin's physical abilities will, however, draw attention from teams, especially those that might feel like he can make the transition to the 3 at the next level. But there might be some wishful thinking involved. His 34 percent shooting on 2-point jumpers and his 27 percent shooting on 3-pointers suggest he's got a long way to go. He should get looks anywhere from No. 25 to No. 40 in the draft.