Nets’ Drake Powell Playing With a Chip on His Shoulder, Focused on Growth

As a reward for taking on Terance Mann's contract in the Atlanta Hawks' trade for Kristaps Porzingis, the Brooklyn Nets were given the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—giving them five total first-round selections.

With that pick, Brooklyn selected UNC product Drake Powell, who will likely develop into a perfect fit for head coach Jordi Fernandez's desired system. He's relentless on the defensive end, has an extremely high motor, and is a knockdown shooter from around the perimeter and beyond.

While Powell didn't participate in the NBA2K26 Summer League festivities in Las Vegas due to knee tendonitis, his approach is reminiscent of a mature, seasoned veteran.

"[I'm] coming to compete. Compete every day, win as many games as I can, and just have a chip on my shoulder," Powell said in a July 14 episode of SCOUT, a docuseries giving Nets fans an inside view of the franchise's draft process. "I feel like I have the belief in myself that I'm the player that I am, and so I'm gonna put, like, my full focus towards that and just continue to grow."

Powell, 19, averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in his lone collegiate season at North Carolina. He only played just over 25 minutes per game, meaning the numbers should be taken lightly. His skillset outweighs the statistics, and could rise depending on his role in 2025-26.

Ironically enough, Powell drew many pre-draft comparisons to Mikal Bridges, the former Nets forward shipped to the New York Knicks last summer. And honestly, the comp makes sense.

Powell and Bridges are both listed at 6-foot-6, can play either the two or three and possess eerily similar traits. Even their freshman season stats aren't far off from one another, despite Powell shooting the three ball at about a 10% higher clip.

Bridges was immensely valuable to Brooklyn during his time in Kings County—but the haul New York gave up was too lucrative to say no. If one calendar year after trading Bridges, the Nets manage to luck into a player of the same stature, their front office will have secured yet another massive victory.