What to Expect From Drake Powell in Nets' Preseason Debut

Preseason play is right around the corner for the Brooklyn Nets. And it looks like they'll have one of their more highly-touted first-round picks for the opener.

The Nets take on the Phoenix Suns on Friday at 8 a.m. EST in the NBA China Game. While that's a super early tip-off time for most fans, it's an important one because one of Brooklyn's more exciting young players is set to make his debut.

Drake Powell was taken with the 22nd overall pick in this past year's NBA Draft out of North Carolina. It's been a challenging start to his professional career, as injuries have prevented Powell from having a normal training camp. Powell has been dealing with left knee tendinopathy, which cost him the opportunity to play in the Summer League and the beginning of training camp.

It seems as though Powell has finally recovered from that injury, as he's not listed on the availability report for Friday's preseason opener. This indicates that Nets fans will finally get to see Powell take an NBA court in a Nets jersey, a sight that many have been waiting to see for months. What should fans expect to see out of the young Tar Heel guard?

The first thing to check out with Powell is where he'll play on the court. He played a lot of wing minutes at North Carolina, and could very well do that in Brooklyn. But maybe the Nets want to experiment with Powell at the shooting guard position, knowing that Cam Thomas' future is a little murky at the moment. Where Powell plays on the court will give fans an insight into how the coaching staff wants to use him.

Coming off an injury, Powell probably won't see more than 10-15 minutes of game action, especially considering it's a preseason game. However, those minutes will be vital for him to show the coaching staff and the fan base what he can do. Powell shot 48.3% from the field and 37.9% from three in college. It would be great to see him be aggressive, looking for his shot, and begin to show that he can be an efficient scorer at the professional level.

Powell's defense will be interesting to watch as well. He'll need to be a solid two-way player, making good use of his 6-foot-6 frame to be a defensive pest. Powell needs to be active and show flashes of defensive upside in the NBA during this preseason.

It's a lot to ask of a young player making his debut, but it's important for the future of the franchise that Powell turns into a good NBA player. A good preseason performance could mean more minutes out of the gate for Powell. And it all starts Friday morning with his professional debut.