Down 34 points late in the third quarter to the Knicks, Drake Powell still played like it mattered. The Nets rookie squared up 6-7 Guerschon Yabusele, strung together a slick combo-cross step back, and rose for a jumper as Spike Lee leaned forward courtside, talking in his ear the entire time.
Powell buried the jumper, one of his career-best three from deep, then turned toward the courtside icon. As he drifted back on defense, he let Lee hear it, punctuating the exchange with a confident 3-point salute. It was the kind of emotion Brooklyn has been searching for, a glimpse of fight from a young player refusing to let the moment or the score quiet him.
“I’ll never be the first one to talk to somebody,” Powell said. “But like, if you talk to me, just in the flow of the game, it is what it is.”
Powell, the 22nd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is beginning to separate himself from Brooklyn’s historic five-player rookie class. He finished with 15 points, two rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block against the Knicks in Sunday’s 134-98 loss at Madison Square Garden, the most points scored by a Nets rookie this season. The 6-5 guard showcased an offensive game more advanced than advertised coming out of North Carolina while maintaining the defensive intensity that made him a standout prospect.
What stood out most about Powell’s night against the Knicks was his fearlessness. He played with poise and confidence, never hesitating when the ball swung his way. He attacked the paint, found teammates when the lane closed and knocked down five of his eight shots. On defense, he fought through screens, stayed locked in and handled some of the Knicks’ toughest matchups in stretches without blinking.
Powell lost valuable time to left knee tendinopathy and a pair of ankle sprains, appearing in just four of the Nets’ first 10 games. But he’s healthy again, and with Cam Thomas sidelined by a hamstring injury, this is his window to prove he belongs.
“He’s a very good basketball player on both ends of the floor,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “If you watch the game, you can see how the kid can play with the ball in his hands. He’s able to shoot and he’s very athletic. … We had a belief in how we saw him, and that’s the reason why we have him here. And I believe he can be very special.”
Powell said he’s always taken pride in being a player who can fit anywhere on the floor. He showed that adaptability at North Carolina and is now trying to bring the same approach to Brooklyn, trusting his instincts and the confidence his coaches have in him.
Fernández believes that mentality is already showing through. He said Powell’s energy and competitiveness have set the tone for others, even as the staff carefully manages his minutes after injuries earlier in the season. The rookie’s two-way effort has stood out, and Fernández is willing to live with the mistakes that come with his growing role.
“Each game, I just want to go out there and trust myself, trust my teammates, trust my coaches,” Powell said.