I was fortunate enough to attend the NEXT Sports pre-draft pro day in El Segundo, California, on Wednesday. Team personnel and media lined up to watch the agency’s three NBA hopefuls — Curtis Jones, TJ Bamba and Nick Martinelli.
it’s always fun to watch high level basketball players showcase their athleticism in an open gym setting
not so much to glean, but enjoy these nick martinelli and TJ bamba slams pic.twitter.com/zlRXrTr3Vr
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) May 22, 2025
There’s only so much to glean from watching elite basketball players work out in an empty gym, but we can still add data points to their prospect evaluations. Let’s discuss some of my thoughts on each player from the pro day workout.
TJ Bamba, Wing, Oregon
Bamba’s chiseled, 6’5, 216-pound frame makes it easy to fall in love with him in a workout setting. He’s an obviously impressive athlete who showcased his quick twitch burst and aerial theatrics with above-the-rim dunks, legitimizing his 37-inch maximum vertical leap. Bamba’s wingspan, measured at 6’11, clearly checked out in person.
After an inefficient shooting season at Oregon this year, Bamba shot the ball well at his pro day. Bamba made just 25.3% of his triples this season, but his career 3-point efficiency sits at 35.4%. He shot the ball smoothly from all over the floor, transferring energy fluidly to consistently sink threes.
In the ball screen drills, Bamba handled the ball well, scoring on some basic crossovers and finding his rollers or cutters with pocket passes. His radiant smile, encouragement to his teammates and positive energy were all apparent from the sidelines, which certainly doesn’t hurt to notice.
Curtis Jones, Guard, Iowa State
Excellent shooters like Jones are prone to excellent workout performances. He followed up an inconsistent shooting start by sinking more and more shots as the workout progressed, showing his competence in the off-ball movement and pull-up drills. Jones is one of the class’s premier shooters, making 36.1% of nearly 700 career 3-point attempts with phenomenal intermediate touch.
Jones measured at 6’3.5 in shoes with a 6’8 wingspan at Portsmouth and his length popped in person. He’s not as bouncy of a leaper as Bamba or Martinelli, but Jones drove the ball and attacked the rim powerfully and aggressively in the downhill drills.
His skill level with the ball lets Jones string together multiple combo moves, pass with both hands and decelerate into wonky footwork floaters. Scouts know how deadly an offensive talent he is, so watching Jones make shots and encourage his teammates and real time helped cement that projection.
Nick Martinelli, Forward, Northwestern
Martinelli put his feathery intermediate touch on full display, sinking floaters, runners and push shots from all sides of the court. The 6’7, 223-pound forward converted an absurd 46.8% of his 400 total 2-pointers away from the basket across his previous two seasons. At his pro day, Martinelli showed off that touch on drives and short roll catch situations.
Scouts will wonder about Martinelli’s 3-point shooting after making a hair over 32% of his 152 attempts across three college seasons. His unorthodox shooting form led to some misses, but Martinelli settled in as the workout progressed, especially finding success sprinting into shots from the top of the key.
Unlike Bamba and Jones, Martinelli still has college eligibility and will likely return to school next season. Receiving NBA feedback will only help him down the line. For the moment, Martinelli’s impressive natural touch and physical tools helped him succeed in a workout setting.
