Drake Powell: Pittsboro to the NBA

Drake Powell had to play at the power forward position while standing at six-foot-six while possessing a lengthy wingspan that stretches to his knees positioned upright. His defensive versatility and tenacious ability to hound opposing ball-handlers, and pose as a huge weak-side shot blocker. Teams had to face the talented freshman, focused and attentive to his presence on the court.

Those college days are quickly over after Powell elected to keep his name in this year's NBA Draft, hearing his name called at pick No.22 to the Atlanta Hawks, a selection that eventually sent him to the Brooklyn Nets via trade. The former Tar Heel was set to join two other previous Tar Heels in Day'Ron Sharpe and Cam Johnson. But Johnson was traded on June 30 to the 2023 NBA Champions, the Denver Nuggets, for Michael Porter Jr. and a draft pick.

As Powell exited the high school scene, he was listed as a five-star recruit at a rating of 98, per 247Sports. Furthermore, he stood as the No. 11 nationally, No. 3 at the small forward position, and No. 2 in the state of North Carolina behind Arizona State commit, now Kentucky Wildcat, Jayden Quintance. Powell was also ranked higher than rising sophomore Isaiah Evans of the Duke Blue Devils.

247Sports Adam Finkelstein wrote a scouting report on Powell back on July 9, 2023:

"Drake Powell is an athletic and competitive wing with a wealth of tools that translate to both ends of the floor. He has good positional size at over 6-foot-7 with shoes on, very long arms, and a naturally sturdy frame that is only going to continue adding muscle. He’s an elite athlete who runs and jumps well, plays high above the rim, and can also slide his feet laterally. Finally, he’s hyper-competitive with the high-motor to maximize his physical gifts."

Powell’s combination of size, length, physicality, and lateral quickness gives him a unique blend of defensive attributes, and that’s already an identity that he embraces. He’s fully engaged on that end of the floor, calling out the opposition’s plays, and typically defending the other team’s best player. He projects as being a very versatile, multi-positional defender and is already a good wing rebounder who snatches balls above the rim."

His skill set will take him far, and the Nets will have a pesky ball-hawk harassing his assigned matchup given his motor as said by Finkelstein and through his performances last season in Chapel Hill.

If Powell were to have stayed in college for all four years, then he may have been a part of the EA Sports NCAA College Basketball video game coming out in 2028.

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