By R.L. Bynum
Drake Powell suggested Tuesday that he was frustrated when the usage rate that he was accustomed to in high school and AAU games dropped significantly during his only season at North Carolina.
Powell was part of a large Brooklyn Nets press conference that included Coach Jordi Fernández, General Manager Sean Marks and the other four draft picks — Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf — which meant he didn’t get many questions from reporters.
The Atlanta Hawks made the 6–6 Powell the 22nd overall pick, then traded him to Brooklyn.
Powell was honest when asked about his season at UNC, where he played at the four spot for much of the season before shifting to the three spot.
“I’d say it really just kind of switched my mentality a little bit,” said Powell, who will wear No. 4. “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.”
Powell’s 13.8% usage rate was the lowest among scholarship players on UNC’s roster last season. The next-lowest for players who started at least 12 games was Jalen Washington’s 17.5%. In conference games, Powell’s usage rate of 14.8% was the same as Cade Tyson’s. Conversely, Ian Jackson, who transferred to St. John’s, had a usage rate of 24.4% in all games and a team-high 25% in ACC games.
“I really could have just sulked and just complained to the coaches,” Powell said. “But what does that get done? That was really the way I thought. And, so, I just accepted the role that was given with open arms, and I just wanted to be able to play to the best of my ability.”
Powell made a huge impact with his jumping ability and menacing play on defense.
“I feel like my defense — that’s mainly just pride,” Powell said. “That’s just something that I’ve had since growing up at a young age, playing with my older brother, older cousin. That’s just something that I always took pride in. I think that I can make an immediate impact to help this team be successful.”
Powell was asked what he learned during his season at Carolina.
“Just the preparation, every-day type preparation,” he said. “I think that was something that I struggled with going in. But I had to continue to put trust in a lot of my vets, Seth Trimble, RJ Davis, Jalen Washington, guys like that. I just tried to shadow them a little bit, see how they operated. I’d say the preparation was the big piece.”
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communication
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