Brooklyn Nets' Drake Powell: Biggest Steal of the 2025 NBA Draft?

This year, the Brooklyn Nets made five first round picks, meaning they made one in every six picks. With their lone top-ten pick, they took 6-foot-8 point guard Egor Demin No. 8 overall. Then, they took Nolan Traore No. 19 overall and Drake Powell with the No. 22 pick, before spending the back-to-back No. 26 and 27 picks on Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, respectively.

While this five-player draft class could prove pivotal to Brooklyn’s rebuild, their middle selection, Powell, stands out for the value he provides at his draft slot. Given the immense upside he brings to the valuable two-way forward archetype, the former UNC Tar Heel could very well end up as one of the biggest steals of the draft at No. 22 overall.

Above all, the 19-year-old forward shines on the defensive end with his advantageous physical tools, speedy lateral movement, and a relentless motor. Standing at just over 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan and weighing in at 200 pounds, Powell's length and strength bring versatility in his defensive impact. In combination with his quick reaction time and lateral speed, his physical tools enable him to wall off drivers with his chest, prod at the ball, and stay connected to ball handlers. The North Carolina native joins Brooklyn already as a valuable on-ball defender, but with further developments to his strength and screen navigation, Powell could develop into one of the league's best ball stoppers at the forward position, especially given his constant energy.

Powell's constant energy also showed up as a help defender, where his incredible vertical leaping ability and 8-foot-7 standing reach resulted in some intriguing flashes as a rim protector. Powell's potential as a shot blocker and overall defensive disruptor is understated by his sub-elite 1.4 stock (steals & blocks) per game figure as a freshman. As the forward becomes a more seasoned decision-maker in rotation and fills out his frame, he'll likely be able to leverage his defensive strengths to play a more aggressive style. This combination of steady on-ball containment and playmaking upside makes Powell an elite defensive prospect, who could very well bring an all-defense type of impact down the line.

Powell comfortably projects as a valuable defender, but he'll need to bring offensive value as well to make a meaningful impact at the NBA level. While this end is still largely a work-in-progress for the 19-year-old, he brings a solid foundation to build off of.

For starters, Powell is already a capable off-the-catch three-point shooter, which is the biggest prerequisite for complementary wings to bring offensive value. He shot 38% from beyond the arc as a freshman on a modest 5.7 attempts per 100 possessions, including an impressive 42% on half-court catch-and-shoots.

The rest of Powell's 7.2 point-per-game scoring average primarily consisted of two-point attempts, which he converted at a 56.9% rate. A lot of these were finishes he was able to make given his size and athleticism, but he also mixed in some telling moments as a driver and pull-up shooter. His handle is still a little bit loose, but Powell showed comfort attacking off-the-dribble, especially playing off of his jab step.

These weren't the most advanced drives, but his sheer downhill explosiveness and ability to finish above the rim shined, and are meaningful building blocks as he looks to develop into a downhill threat in the NBA. Powell also finished some plays with good-looking mid-range jumpers off his high release. These flashes weren't very common occurrences, but when he did opt for these tries, he demonstrated comfort transitioning from dribble to shot and getting his attempts off over defenders, which are encouraging signs.

Powell has to polish his game before he becomes a legitimate offensive threat in the NBA, but his budding three-point shooting and off-the-dribble flashes demonstrate the 19-year-old's baseline of talent, around which he can develop his game.

Only time will tell who the biggest steal of the 2025 NBA Draft is, but should Powell keep building on his two-way foundation, he has a great chance to earn this title.