I was personally more disappointed in losing Drake Powell to the NBA draft than I was losing Ian Jackson to Rick Pitino and St. John’s. But the NBA saw Drake’s potential, and that’s what The League is all about.
Fellow Tar Heel Blog scribe Brandon Anderson wrote a great announcement of the pick, so let’s now dive in to how Drake fits in at his new landing spot.
Drake was selected with the 22nd pick by the Atlanta Hawks, but before you could even contemplate how it would look with him on the wing playing with Trae Young — oh, he’s traded to the Brooklyn Nets, in a trend that is happening more and more often in the NBA draft. Don’t watch too many highlights or get too attached to any player your team drafts, because they could be gone in 60 seconds.
In Brooklyn, Drake will be joining a fellow member of the Carolina family in Cam Johnson, who plays alongside Cam Thomas on the wing. With those two wing spots filled, Drake will most likely be coming off the bench with backup center and fellow Tar Heel one-and-done Day’Ron Sharpe.
The Nets went 26-56 last season and ranked 25th overall in total defense which means Drake, who along with Seth Trimble was an incredible on-ball defender for the Tar Heels, fits a need in Brooklyn. His defensive intensity and versatility could be the key to earning him more minutes on his new team, but he’ll need to work on his consistency on the offensive end if he’s to become a reliable role player and get a chance to maximize his potential.
The pick has gotten lukewarm reviews including ESPN’s Jeremy Woo saying the Nets “took a flier on Powell” and sticking with the narrative that he “was arguably misused at North Carolina.” I would love to hear in the comments what people think about Hubert’s usage of Drake Powell at Carolina.
Big congrats to Drake for achieving his dream of playing in the NBA, and we wish him all the best going forward!