Drake Powell hits his first snag
Drake Powell's second game as a starter may be one to forget for the five-star freshman. At 6-foot-6, Powell is probably best used as a shooting guard or small forward but must act as a power forward for the undersized Tar Heels. He can use his outrageous wingspan to gobble up smaller guards, as demonstrated by some of his early season blocks where he engulfed ball-handlers and simply caught lay-ups rather than rejecting them into the stands.
Drake Powell showed why he's a highly regarded NBA prospect in Maui, hitting 3s consistently, guarding everyone from 1-4 and making intelligent passes. He's been a bright spot for UNC and should continue to grow as the season moves on. pic.twitter.com/Md7ePzH4M2
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 3, 2024
Powell did not have that effect against the Yellow Jackets. He finished the game with zero points on just two shot attempts, both of them three-pointers. He also only collected one rebound in 15 minutes of action, and had a +/- of -7, second-worst only to Jae'Lyn Withers at -9. That is not the company you want a starter to keep.
This is a step backward for Powell, who has played at least 21 minutes per game since the Maui Invitational. He has done a good job providing North Carolina with punch without disrupting the offensive flow, but he may have been too passive against Georgia Tech. He passed up open corner threes, and when he did look for his patented mid-paint pull-up jumper, he got whistled for a travel.
If Powell continues to start at the four, he needs to find his offense a bit easier than he did against Georgia Tech. His production is now lumped in with the rest of the front court, and in the absence of my Christmas stamp, let me type it out one more time:
"North Carolina needs more production from the front court, or this season is doomed."