It hasn’t been a pretty season for the Brooklyn Nets thus far, as they fell to the New York Knicks 134-98 on Sunday.
Coming into the season, it was well known that the priority was going to be developing young talent and living with the losses that come with it. One of those players is Drake Powell, whom the Nets selected No. 22 in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and three assists in just 22 minutes, showcasing a willingness to take it hard to the rim and let it fly from deep. He also seemed like the only Net who looked alive during an otherwise uneventful night for the black and white.
Powell was picking up Jalen Brunson full-court, challenging Knicks forwards Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby on defense and actively picking up his opponents as a free safety. He was also making quick, smart passes, many of which came off of dribble handoffs.
Sure, Powell may have had a couple of questionable attempts, one that was swatted away by Mitchell Robinson, but at least he isn’t afraid to embarrass himself and experience the growing pains of trying to take the next step in his game this early in his career.
Despite the game being so out of reach, Powell’s body language never wavered. It seemed like he wanted to be out there and prove he deserves a spot of regular rotational minutes.
For a team that needs to prioritize player development sooner rather than later, the time is simply now to give Powell a shot of improving his game with realtime reps on an NBA hardwood.
Yes, a coaches job is to win games, and sometimes a coach needs to play the players they feel can best contribute to that cause.
However, the Nets have just one win through their first 10 games of the season, so it’s not like the players who have been regularly out there each night are helping Jordi Fernandez add more wins to his name.
For a team that is in desperate need of developing their identity and shifting their focus towards the future, it would be best served for them to reward players who want to be out there and have shown signs of being real contributors at the next level.
Until and unless he proves otherwise, Powell should be getting more minutes moving forward.
