Brooklyn Nets rookie Drake Powell will be limited on the court when training camp begins on Wednesday due to a knee injury, general manager Sean Marks said on Tuesday.
Powell was held out of the NBA Summer League as a precaution because of the injury sustained during the predraft process. He said he is attacking his rehabilitation plan, put in place by the team medical staff, and is making daily progress.
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Marks said Powell hasn’t been participating in 5-on-5 pick-up games with his teammates during on-court sessions at the practice facility. The hope is that Powell will be able to play at some point during their upcoming four-game preseason schedule.
“The hope is that he’ll be in camp and doing drills,” Marks said. “He didn’t participate in open gym, but at the same time, we have no issues with him being held out of camp and so forth. We’ll build him up through there, and he should be good to go for, hopefully, the preseason games.”
Powell was the 22nd pick after averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 37.9% shooting from 3-point range at North Carolina. He is among a crowded draft class for the Nets, joining Egor Dёmin (eighth pick), Nolan Traoré (19th), Ben Saraf (26th) and Danny Wolf (27th).
The 20-year-old is projected to compete for rotational minutes behind the likes of Michael Porter Jr. and Ziaire Williams. He was highly touted entering the draft due to his scoring, athleticism and defensive ability, boasting a 7-foot wingspan.
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Powell will join DÑ‘min as being limited to start training camp due to an injury. The team will be hopeful to have them back on the court as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition ahead of their upcoming respective rookie campaigns.
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Drake Powell: Nets rookie hopeful for preseason with knee injury