Drake Powell Scouting Deepdive
Despite playing a strange role for a poorly constructed North Carolina team, Drake Powell showed enough two-way flashes to warrant a big swing on draft night
If there’s an archetype of player that the 2025 NBA Draft class has in droves, it’s the defense-oriented athletic wing. This includes players such as Adou Thiero, Rasheer Fleming, Carter Bryant, Nique Clifford, and several others. Today’s subject, North Carolina one-and-done freshman Drake Powell, is arguably the best example of that archetype in the class. Despite not living up to lofty expectations during his lone collegiate campaign, he cemented himself as one of the most athletic prospects in this draft class and showcased intriguing flashes on both ends throughout the year. Following the season, most evaluators considered him to be a surefire returner for the Tar Heels, but he decided to forego his remaining college eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft. Now, after a tremendous showing at the combine, he has slowly risen up draft boards in front offices across the league. That said, does he have what it takes to not only stick in the league, but also develop into the player many believed he could be coming out of high school?
Player Profile:
Drake Powell is a 6’7” and 200lb wing from Pittsboro, North Carolina who played his high school ball for Northwood High School in Pittsboro. The former top 15 recruit was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2024 graduating class and was selected to participate in the McDonald’s All-American game. He committed to the Tar Heels over programs such as Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Texas A&M, but wouldn’t pick up a ton of traction on the recruiting trail because of his clear connections to North Carolina and head coach Hubert Davis. Both of his parents were athletes at the university, and he and coach Davis are cousins.
He wasn’t as statistically impactful as many expected he would be during his debut season, and the Tar Heels struggled alongside him. However, once he was slotted into the starting lineup, it became clear that the team was significantly more productive with him on the court. Out of 37 total games played, he started in 24 of them. He averaged 25.5 minutes per game on the season, which is slightly skewed considering he played less to start the season. On the year he posted averages of 7.4 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, .7 blocks, and .7 steals on shooting splits of 48.3% from the field, 37.9% from beyond the arc, and 64.8% from the free-throw line. Following the season, he would lead the entire combine in no-step vertical (37.5”) and max vertical (43”). He also measures extremely well with a 7’0” wingspan and an 8’8” standing reach.
Interior Scoring:
Although Powell isn’t an incredibly dynamic scoring threat, he was relatively successful when applying rim pressure throughout the year. He saw real improvement in this department as the season progressed, gaining confidence attacking off-the-dribble and on stampede looks from the perimeter. However, he still has a long way to go before he’ll be trusted to create his own offense at the professional level, so for the time being he will have to rely on off-ball movement and standout athleticism to carry him around the basket.
I wouldn’t consider Powell to be an elite off-ball mover; he’s just not incredibly explosive on cuts and often seems a little unsure of his situation, but he’s certainly an active mover who takes advantage of his opportunities. He has solid feel around the rim but is still liable to put too much on a close-range attempt and miss out on easy points. That’s why it’s pivotal for him to finish above the rim, as very few collegiate rim protectors were able to offer a legitimate effort against him in that position. Now, considering that NBA defensive anchors will be capable of stopping his high-flying offense, he will have to continue developing into an all-around interior operative if he wants to find success from this range at the professional level.
His ability to accelerate from the perimeter with the ball in his hands is a skill that has flown under the radar throughout the draft process. While his handle is nothing to write home about, his first-step acceleration in these scenarios is certainly something to work with. In fact, his burst in these situations strikes me as more explosive than his burst on off-ball actions. Also, it’s on these on-ball possessions where he appears more confident finishing around the rim. While I’d still argue that he has a long way to go before he’ll find consistent success attacking the rim with the ball in his hands against professional defenses, there’s more to work with in this department than many are giving him credit for.
A consistent theme in Powell’s game is his ability to find success on transition opportunities both with and without the ball. While he does showcase solid acceleration in the half-court, it’s the open court where he’s able to fully maximize his on-ground athleticism. He leaks out incredibly quickly, and whether he is or isn’t the ball handler, he almost always finds a way to make a positive impact on the opposite end. He combines an average handle with impressive speed and skilled fast-paced decision making to make for a very effective skillset in these scenarios. Finally, and this applies to all other types of his at-the-rim offense as well; he’s absolutely fantastic at absorbing and finishing through contact. While his touch around the rim still needs significant improvement, his ability to put himself in a strong position to succeed should not go unnoticed.
Mid-Range Scoring:
As far as scoring upside is concerned, one may argue that Powell’s comfort operating from the mid-range is his strongest positive indicator. For a guy who didn’t showcase much self-created scoring acumen this season, I was pleasantly surprised by his ability to find success from this part of the floor. Not only does he possess your typical (although unorthodox in his case) floater and push shot in-between game, but he also clearly believes that mid-range pull-up jump shots are a prominent element of his scoring arsenal. Much like his self-created offense at the rim, his scoring from this range still feels theoretical, but also like that aspect of his game, I don’t believe he gets enough credit for what he did showcase this season.
There are several indicators that suggest that this skill will be a part of his game at the next level. The speed at which he leaves the ground and the elevation that he gets allows him to get his shot off against just about anybody. His ability to absorb contact, bounce off the body of his defender, and utilize that to create separation is a skill that a lot of great mid-range agents possess. The issues that I have with his process in these situations primarily revolve around his handle and inconsistent shot motion. Sometimes he looks incredibly fluid on these looks, and at other times he looks rather uncomfortable and presents a hitch in his shot motion. I wouldn’t project this to be something either he or his organization rely on in the near future, but there’s a world where this becomes a major element of his game if he begins to move toward his ceiling.
At times he will attempt a running, almost hybrid, jump shot either fading away from the hoop or streaking across the lane. I didn’t see a ton of these from him on my film dive, but they are certainly different from other shots in his mid-range toolbelt. I bring this up because, to me, they appear to be bail out shots that he attempts when he’s defended well on his drives to the rim. It almost seems like he doesn’t know which way to attempt the shot on the way through his shot motion, so he eventually takes some sort of two-handed push shot. I’m not sure if I’d draw any conclusions from this rather miniscule element of his game, but I found this to be odd to say the least.
This is where things become strange, because he does not pass the eye test on floaters and push shots. He usually just chucks the ball at the rim and hopes that it either goes in, or he draws a foul. However, he does convert on these looks at a better clip than you’d likely expect, and he does indeed put himself in a good position to draw fouls. That said, he’ll surely have to make major changes to his process if he wants to attempt these looks against professional defenders. If there’s a positive to take away from this part of his game, it’s that he once again showcases his ability to finish through contact and even create contact near the basket.
Outside Shooting:
Powell is not a stellar outside shooter, but he had a solid season from beyond the arc as a catch-and-shoot operative. He only attempted 2.6 threes per game, but considering his low usage that’s not horrific volume. Almost all of those attempts were catch-and-shoot looks, and his 37.9% mark from long range suggests that he’s a very capable off-ball shooter. This will have to be the case if he wants to succeed at the next level, as the organization that drafts him will likely ask him to play a three-and-d role within their system. No matter how much of an impact he makes on the defensive end, if he’s not respected from beyond the arc it will be difficult to keep him on the floor.
His outside shooting motion is very similar to his mid-range shooting motion in that he gets off the ground well and keeps the ball elevated. He manages to get good looks no matter how well he is defended simply because the shot is almost impossible to block, and he’s usually high enough off the ground to see over his defender. While he almost exclusively attempts catch-and-shoot looks, he is able to knock them down off movement, which makes him significantly more effective than if he was always standing still. However, and much like his mid-range shooting, his mechanics are inconsistent, and he does have a clear hitch on occasion.
Passing & Playmaking:
An aspect of his game that has gotten virtually no attention throughout the cycle is his passing. While he’s definitely not a high-volume passer, one could argue that this is the case primarily because he doesn’t spend much time with the ball in his hands. Now, I’m not suggesting that he’ll ever be a floor general or table setter, but I do think he showed strong decision-making indicators this season via his passing. If given the chance, there’s a world where he develops into a very strong connective and perhaps even secondary passer at the next level.
As I mentioned, what stands out to me when watching his passing film is the speed at which he makes correct decisions. Not only that, but he almost always places the pass in a position for the recipient to quickly go up for an attempt. His comfort in these situations, despite not seeing a ton of opportunities to flex his passing acumen, impressed me. Not to mention that his passing stood out in a North Carolina offensive system that at times was stagnant, to say the least. Who knows what heights he could reach within an NBA offensive system primed to put him in the best possible position to succeed.
Where he does struggle is finding shooters along the perimeter, especially on his drives. I worry that, because he knows he’s expected to score in those scenarios, he has developed tunnel vision. For most guys whose scoring output heavily depends on at-the-rim offense, kickout passing comes naturally. For Powell, he generated almost no open looks from beyond the arc for his teammates this season. That said, I still fall back on his strong instincts in other areas, and hope that an NBA coaching staff can pry this out of his game in the future.
Like I promised, his effectiveness in the open court extends beyond his scoring. He’s a very good passer on the fast break, and if the defense doesn’t apply adequate pressure to his below average handle, he will almost always make the correct decision in these situations. His ability to place the ball on a dime is something you don’t typically see from players of his archetype. This is especially impressive in transition scenarios, where both the offense and defense move in a wildly unpredictable and dynamic fashion. This skill should serve as a clear indicator of strong feel and all-around upside, and yet I’ve seen very little talk of his ceiling as a passer and high-feel processor.
Defense:
Almost every evaluation of Powell’s game concludes that defense is by far his strongest skill both in the present and as a prospect going forward. I would agree with that conclusion. Although his steal and block averages don’t blow you away, the impact he made for the Tar Heels on this end of the floor was perhaps the most evident positive difference that any individual made for the team this season. Not only was he almost always matched up against the opposing team’s best offensive player, but he also found himself switching onto basically every opponent on the floor throughout each game. He did extremely well against every player he faced, and I think this trend will continue even against high-octane NBA offensive agents.
While he is a fantastic primary and point-of-attack defender, as far as defensive playmaking and generating steals is concerned, he’s far better away from the ball. This is where he’s able to best utilize his athleticism and length to turn opponents over and generate quick offense for his team. When you’re as good as Powell is on the fast break, it’s very conducive to success when you’re also fantastic at generating steals. He’s a major weapon in passing lanes because of his leaping abilities, strong instincts, positive length, and sudden burst. I don’t expect any of these traits to disappear between now and his NBA debut, so I would project him to find success in this department at the next level right away.
As far as on-ball defense is concerned, he is better at containing and denying his matchup than he is at generating steals. When he does steal the ball from his opponent, it’s almost always when they attempt a pass and rarely when they put the ball on the floor. I actually think this is a positive indicator. He’s confident enough in his one-on-one defensive ability that he doesn’t feel the need to attempt steals and risk giving up court position to his matchup. While I’m not sure if he’s laterally quick enough to stick with elite NBA guards, I am certain that he’s quick enough to keep up with even the very best wings the league has to offer.
Where his defense is the most emphatic and momentum-shifting is around the basket, where he was one of the best secondary rim protectors in the nation this season. Not only that, but this is also where his vertical athleticism is most evident. He’s an excellent help side rim protector; so good, in fact, that he’s able to moonlight as a primary rim protector from time-to-time. He’s fantastic at recovering both in the half- and full-court. He erases a ton of opposing offense at the rim, and much like his ability to generate steals, I fully expect this to translate against NBA opponents.
Even when his matchup does manage to find their way to the rim he’s able to find the ball from virtually every angle to pick up a block. He’s excellent at finding position behind his opponent and blocking the shot from over their head. This is very difficult to do without fouling and requires not only a positive physical profile but also strong defensive instincts. This suggests that he would succeed against quicker guards at the professional level, as he will almost always be bigger and more athletic than players who are quicker than him. If he can hold his own against shifty guards; he can hold his own against just about any player he may find himself matched up against.
Summary:
Before I summarize Powell’s game, I want to list out any and all of his weaknesses and flaws so that we can garner a better understanding of his game in its entirety. I include this disclaimer in all of my scouting deepdives, but it’s important to remember that every player has countless flaws. What makes the great players great is their ability to not only maintain and improve upon their strengths, but also continually improve upon their weaknesses. This is especially important to remember in Powell’s case, as he had a unique freshman year and is still very far away from fulfilling his potential.
His biggest weakness may be his subpar handle, simply because it limits his potential in so many different areas. It weakens his ability to create his own offense from every scoring level, and it limits how impactful he is in the open court.
His touch on non-dunk at-the-rim attempts needs significant work before he can be trusted as a consistent close-range finisher, especially against professional interior defenders.
His off-ball burst and acceleration is seemingly the least explosive form of acceleration throughout his entire game, which doesn’t bode well considering off-ball cutting and slashing will probably be where he’s expected to contribute the most offensively.
It’s odd because I wouldn’t consider him an explosive vertical athlete, even though he has fantastic vertical pop. I’d put him into the floaty athlete category, which does limit his ability to go up and over rim protectors, but does support his game in other areas.
I don’t think his floater/push-shot game, at least in its current form, will work at the professional level. Not only are these attempts easy to defend, but I’d argue that the success he found on these looks this season was probably an outlier anyway.
The inconsistent mechanics on his mid-range jump shot is concerning and he will have to rely on his organization’s developmental staff to help him reach his potential from this range. This isn’t always a good thing, as certain staffs have been known to do more harm than good.
He possesses no self-creation skills (at least as far as we’ve seen) from beyond the arc. While this certainly limits his ceiling, I don’t see it as a make-or-break weakness for his ability to find success in the league.
His outside shot, much like his mid-range shot, is mechanically inconsistent and will likely require the same, if not more, developmental attention.
He had a bad free-throw shooting season this year, which could suggest that his solid splits from beyond the arc is an outlier.
Considering how much contact he attracts at multiple scoring levels, he doesn’t draw nearly as many fouls as you’d expect. He attempted only 1.5 free-throws per game this season.
While I am bullish on his passing upside, I must admit that his kickout passing is far behind the rest of his passing arsenal. That’s especially worrying considering most professional offenses revolve around three-point shooting.
He doesn’t generate as many steals as you’d probably expect from a defender of his caliber. However, I do believe that if he were asked to play a more aggressive style of defense, he would likely turn opponents over more consistently.
Drake Powell is the definition of a risky prospect, but one that NBA organizations would love to add into their fold. He’s an athletic weapon with enough all-around feel to support his elite physical profile. His game is predicated on his defensive impact; the area of his game that most evaluators are confident will immediately translate to a professional landscape. As a freshman at one of the most prolific programs in the nation, he cemented himself as one of the best wing defenders in the country. That alone makes him a highly intriguing prospect, but it’s his offensive blueprint that will give organizations hope that he could become more than your average three-and-d role playing wing.
Playing within a poorly built offensive system under head coach Hubert Davis, Powell was still able to showcase real offensive pop on a regular basis. He proved to be an effective at-the-rim scorer, applying rim pressure as an off-ball cutter and even attacking self-created driving lanes as the season progressed. He had a very good outside shooting season as well, knocking down nearly 40% of his catch-and-shoot attempts from long range. Finally, I would argue that his offensive upside is most evident from his mid-range shot making and transition scoring and passing. Despite his many offensive flaws, there is more than enough to work with to get NBA front offices excited regarding his long-term potential.
All in all, I would be more than willing to take a swing on Powell, probably before most of his archetypal contemporaries. He’s younger than just about every player projected to play a similar role as him at the next level, and he’s more athletic than just about everyone in the draft. I don’t see any reason why he would be selected any later than just outside of the lottery, and I could even see a team taking a major swing on him within those first fourteen picks.