Gators' Martin Project to Land with Grizzlies

As one of three members of the Florida Gators invited to the 2025 NBA Draft Combine, there's a strong chance that guard Alijah Martin will hear his name called at some point in this year's draft.

According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor, Martin is projected to be the 26th pick of the second round of the NBA Draft, which currently is owned by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Martin is one of the more athletic players in this upcoming draft. Even at 6-2, 210-pounds, Martin more than makes up for his smaller frame with an attitude that of someone much bigger.

His dunking ability also makes him explode through defenders and sets him up for the ‘and-one’ situations. With an improved 76.1 free throw percentage, Martin is also a viable scoring option for whoever decides to draft him. On top of that, they would be getting a better defender, something NBA teams have been away from. 

"Martin is a hyper-athletic, high-energy guard who plays bigger than his size and impacts the game with his toughness, rebounding, and defensive grit. But his positional tweener status, streaky shooting, and limited creation ability complicate his ability to carve out a specialized role," O'Connor wrote.

O'Connor listed Martin's NBA comparisons as De’Anthony Melton, who averaged 10.3 points per game with the Nets before injury, and Derrick Jones Jr., who averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this year with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Alijah Martin was a major contributor to the Gators' run to a national championship this past season after a transferring from FAU, where he previously starred as a member of its 2023 Final Four team.

In his only season with the Gators, Martin played in 38 of the 40 games. He averaged 30.3 minutes, 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals. One thing that won’t be shown on any box score or stat sheet was Martin’s leadership throughout the entire postseason after his past experience with the Owls.

Of the 75 players that were invited to the 2025 NBA Draft Combine, the Gators will have three of their players featured in Chicago in Martin, Walter Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon with Will Richard and Rueben Chinyelu earning invites to the G League Elite Camp.

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