Nets’ Drake Powell will have to prove he can handle bigger minutes
TORONTO — Drake Powell’s usage rate in college — or lack of usage — was a red flag for some coming into the draft. But not for Jordi Fernández.
The first-round pick is clearly raw, but after Powell looked better than many expected during his first preseason action, Fernández said he wasn’t the slightest bit concerned about the wing’s historically low usage rate at North Carolina.
“I wasn’t there [at UNC], and I cannot judge whether it’s positive or negative. But I see [Powell] as an elite on-ball defender, as probably the best athlete of this draft, a player that can run a play on the second side, a very good ball handler,” Fernández said. “He was a point guard when he was in high school I believe, or growing up, so you can see all those things.
“He makes it look simple, and does things that you’re like, ‘Oh, that looks easy.’ But it’s not easy. We’re going to see the growth. It’s not always going to be easy. He’s going to have to earn it … the point guards [are] going to have to earn their minutes and take advantage of their minutes. Same thing with Drake. He’s going to have to take advantage of his minutes. If he starts with [an] opportunity, great. If not, the opportunity will come. So I expect all those guys to see the floor at one point.”
Powell’s 13.8 usage rate at UNC was the lowest of any wing ever drafted, according to The Athletic.
He was drafted for his defense and athleticism, with the best vertical leap in his class, and was billed as lacking offensively.
But in two games against the Suns, he shot 3-for-6 from deep and didn’t look completely out of his depth on the rare instances that he was surprisingly asked to handle the ball, play pick-and-roll, etc.
Of Brooklyn’s record five first-round picks, Powell seems the most likely to spend time with G-League Long Island.
Those minutes are going to be valuable for him, to get his offense to the point where it at least allows his already impressive defense to get on the floor in the NBA.
Michael Porter Jr. is one of the best cutters in the league, and thrived on those plays in Denver playing off Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The Nets are still installing and drilling actions at the top of the key to leverage his abilities.
The latest Sportico ranking of most valuable NBA teams is out, with the Golden State Warriors leading the way at a staggering $11.33 billion.
The Knicks came in third at $9.85 billion, and the Brooklyn Nets sixth at $6.22 billion.
The return on investment has been impressive, with the average NBA team value shooting up 113 percent in just three years.
Brooklyn is “pausing” for this season the BK Block, a dedicated fan section that hosted the Brooklyn Brigade the past seven years, according to NetsDaily.
The Brigade will continue, but not the section.
