Former Tar Heels Basketball Star Changes Number

Following his being drafted with the No. 22 overall pick of the NBA Draft, former University of North Carolina star Drake Powell had a decision he had to make. He had to decide what jersey number he was going to wear with his new team, the Brooklyn Nets.

Powell wore No. 9 at UNC when he played for the Tar Heels. That is not an option. There was a photo of Powell on social media holding up a jersey with the No. 4 on it. It appears as though he will switch to that number for the beginning of his professional career.

It is perplexing because he has no prior attachment to the number. He wore No. 9 in Chapel Hill. He also wore No. 32 at Northwood High School. He could not wear No. 4 at UNC as that number will eventually be retired and hung in the rafters of the Dean Smith Center. Powell is grabbing No. 9 and not looking back. It will be his new trademark so to speak.

The Nets are going to have some uniform number problems with rookies as they had a first-round that saw them make five selections. Tar Heels fans were most excited to see Powell drafted by Brooklyn. The selection of Powell by the Nets ended a long spell of drafts where a Tar Heels player did not get selected in the first round.

While the selection of Powell was well accepted by the fan base of the Tar Heels and the Nets, it was not well received by the media. The media generally had mixed reviews and the opinions were so thick, they could have been cut with a knife.

Yahoo! Sports was one publication which came out in favor of the selection. They gave the pick an "A" and think Powell will develop into a star.

"Powell has a chiseled frame that he uses to barrel into defenders at the rim and to contain opponents when he’s on defense. He’s a switch-everything defender who plays with a high motor, and if his spot-up jumper translates he checks all the boxes to be a 3-and-D role player at a minimum for the Nets. But as a projected lottery pick entering college, maybe he’ll tap back into the shot-creating upside that he was once recruited for."

CBS Sports was not so benevolent as they thought the pick was slightly above average. They gave the pick a "C+".

"This is a little bit of a reach. The upside is a 3-and-D wing but the offense is not there yet. It's a major work in progress. Good athlete. Good defender with long arms. High character kid. Not NBA ready right now. The theme of this class for Brooklyn is they seem to think they can develop shooters. If these guys can develop as shooters, they'll be fine. I don't think he'll help the Nets next year. It's only because of my faith in the Nets' player development program that I'm not being more harsh."

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