Brooklyn Nets Star Has High Praise for Rookie Drake Powell

The Brooklyn Nets had five first-round picks to play with entering the 2025 NBA Draft. And they made all five selections.

While some picks, such as the selection of Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick, received criticism from the media and basketball analysts, the selection of Drake Powell didn't generate as many headlines.

The Nets selected the 6-foot-6 Powell with the 22nd overall pick out of North Carolina. As a freshman with the Tar Heels last season, Powell played in 37 games and averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He shot 48.3% from the field and 37.9% from behind the arc on almost three attempts a game. While the stats don't jump off the page, the reason why Powell was a first-round pick is clear: he's one of the most athletic players in the draft class.

Powell has a 7-foot wingspan and an 8-foot, 7-inch standing reach. At the NBA Combine, he excelled, posting an elite 43-inch max vertical leap, 37.5-inch standing vertical leap, and a 3.07-second three-quarter-court sprint. Those athletic traits were the main reason why Sean Marks and the Nets took a chance on Powell in the first round. And it's those traits that are getting noticed by Powell's NBA teammates now.

Powell has been battling a knee injury that cost him the opportunity to play in the Summer League. On Wednesday, he was cleared to return to full-contact practice for the first time in Brooklyn, a big step forward in the rehab process. But despite the knee injury, he's already impressing his new teammates. Michael Porter Jr. spoke to the media on Wednesday and was asked about Powell, whom he called one of the most athletic players he'd ever seen.

"I’ve been really impressed with him... He’s a freak athlete, and he has a foundation to keep building on his skill set. He’s obviously very young, very raw... but with his frame and his height, if he keeps focused, then he can just keep elevating [his game]."Michael Porter Jr.

That's very high praise for Powell from an established star in the NBA and bodes well for what we could potentially do this season. Now that he's back at practice fully, Powell should get a chance to play in the Nets' preseason games and get into regular-season games before too long. The Nets are in a rebuild, and it would be smart to get Powell a lot of minutes and playing time this season. He's a big part of the plans in Brooklyn and would benefit greatly from just getting into games and letting his athleticism do the talking.

The Nets are relying on their 2025 draft class to be the foundation of the next winning team in Brooklyn. Powell is a big part of that and has the potential to be the best player from that draft class. The excitement in and out of the building is growing for the young forward from North Carolina.