NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Drake Powell has been having the typical NBA rookie season that has come with plenty of positives and negatives as he adjusts to the next level. Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez has been employing different approaches to get the most out of players like Powell and he explained how the former North Carolina Tar Heel has been growing on the offensive end.

“I’ve seen consistent work, and to be honest with you, I don’t really pay much attention into the stretches…At the end of the day, for me, it’s the bigger sample size,” Fernandez said of Powell prior to Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. Powell is having his best offensive month of the season as he’s averaging 7.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 41.4% from the field and 35.0% from three-point land in March.

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“I buy into how good they are in the day-to-day, and then, in the long run, they’re going to be very good for us,” Fernandez continued. “That’s why we, in this case, drafted them. High-character people, very good teammates, and that’s what matters right now. Finish the season, finish strong, see obviously how all his tendencies, numbers, everything has worked out and see how we plan the summer for him.”

Powell, 20, is having a solid rookie season as he’s averaging 6.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 42.1% from the field and 29.9% from three-point land. However, he did have some issues with consistency and being ready for games, leading to head coach Jordi Fernandez benching Powell after a few minutes in certain games if he is not playing up to par.

With the Nets being eliminated from postseason contention for some time now, Powell has been seeing more playing time and appears to be getting more of a chance to play through his mistakes. As it stands right now, Powell is hitting his stride on the offensive end of the floor and Fernandez appears to be proud of how one of his rookies has developed since the beginning of the season.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Jordi Fernandez discusses rookie Drake Powell’s offensive growth