Drake Powell heard his name called during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, as the former UNC basketball standout is heading to the Brooklyn Nets (via trade from the Atlanta Hawks).
While fans seemed to be pumped by the addition, the media has mixed reviews about Powell's selection. Some believe that the pick was a great one for the Nets, while others think the selection leaves room for desire.
On the morning after the NBA Draft, media outlets released their 2025 NBA Draft first round grades for each pick. Find out what some notable outlets had to say about Powell, including their grade given for the selection:
Yahoo! Sports
"Powell has a chiseled frame that he uses to barrel into defenders at the rim and to contain opponents when he’s on defense. He’s a switch-everything defender who plays with a high motor, and if his spot-up jumper translates he checks all the boxes to be a 3-and-D role player at a minimum for the Nets. But as a projected lottery pick entering college, maybe he’ll tap back into the shot-creating upside that he was once recruited for."
Grade: A
FanSided
"Drake Powell fell victim to a wonky situation at North Carolina, but he's a major athlete on the wing. At worst, Powell figures to hound ball-handlers on defense and blow up plays with his length and activity in passing lanes. He also hit spot-up 3s at a healthy clip. The offense is a work in progress otherwise, and Brooklyn has now picked three prospects with major scoring question marks, but Powell is a reasonable upside swing for a team starting from scratch like Brooklyn."
Grade: B-
NBA Draft on SI
"Drake Powell offers a slightly higher floor than the rest of the Nets’ first round picks, with a nice base of shooting and defense."
Grade: B-
CBS Sports
"This is a little bit of a reach. The upside is a 3-and-D wing but the offense is not there yet. It's a major work in progress. Good athlete. Good defender with long arms. High character kid. Not NBA ready right now. The theme of this class for Brooklyn is they seem to think they can develop shooters. If these guys can develop as shooters, they'll be fine. I don't think he'll help the Nets next year. It's only because of my faith in the Nets' player development program that I'm not being more harsh."
Grade: C+
Sports Illustrated
"Powell came into the year with lottery buzz but largely flopped at North Carolina, struggling to find his footing in Chapel Hill, particularly on the offensive end. He’s a freak athlete who can jump out of the gym, but his slow processing speed sometimes neutralizes some of those athletic edges in game action. It seems fairly likely Powell would’ve been available with one of Brooklyn’s later first-rounders, but with five picks the Nets can afford to ‘overdraft’ players they really value. "
Grade: C