After being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, former Tar Heel Drake Powell has formally signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Before the draft, he was able to impress scouts quite a bit, which ultimately caused him to move up the rankings. Every time we watched him while he was at UNC, it was clear that he had a lot of potential. But were there any aspects of him that we simply missed? Ian Jackson has stated that there was, and Powell is now reiterating this in his own words.
Powell was questioned about his time at UNC, specifically his use decreasing in comparison to his high school days, during a recent press conference.
“I’d say it really just switched my mentality a little bit,” Powell said. “My usage rate, it dropped a lot once I got to North Carolina, but I was still playing heavy minutes and being able to help the team be successful. I really could have just sulked and complained to the coaches, but what does that get done? That was really the way I thought. And so I just accepted the role that I was given with open arms, and I just wanted to be able to play to the best of my ability to help the team be successful.”
Much like what Jackson said about his time at UNC, Powell’s comments made me think about how his usage actually declined between high school and college. I think that when things like this are said it’s easy to pin it as sour grapes, but honestly I kind of get where he’s coming from. He started 24 of the 37 games that he played for UNC and averaged 25.6 minutes per game, so looking at the minutes alone things start to make a little sense. Then you look at 211 field goal attempts and it’s quite understandable what is actually being said. Undoubtedly he had more playing time and did more on the floor than he did at UNC, and that change may or may not have been justifiable when looking at how Hubert Davis managed that situation.
But I am not here to litigate whether or not Davis used Powell less than he should or if he used him enough, but what I will say is that Powell’s attitude about how things played out will likely help him in the NBA. I would be surprised if the Nets roll him out as a starter, and so he will have to work really hard to earn playing time. The Nets drafted him based on his upside, and upside picks take time to get to the level teams need them to be at. The timing of these comments is interesting too, because I just saw a clip of Carmelo Anthony discussing his time with the Houston Rockets, and how they for whatever reason did not want him taking mid-range jumpers, which was one of his bags. It’s a good example of how once you get out of high school, things are different in terms of what coaches want from you.
Although I am aware that Powell will play a significant role this season, UNC did him a favour by preparing him for what lies ahead, regardless of whether he would have liked it to go this way or not. What do you all think, though? Do you believe Powell’s complaints over his usage rate were well-founded? Do you believe Hubert Davis made the best use of him? Tell us in the comments section below.
