Brooklyn Nets rookie Drake Powell's developing jump-shot should give the franchise hope for the immediate future.
The Brooklyn Nets have had a few key silver linings to take away from their first half of the 2025-26 NBA season despite a 12-29 start, and rookie guard Drake Powell is giving the franchise yet another positive to keep in mind.
At 20 years old, the Nets' No. 22 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft usually provides the team with a spark on the defensive end thanks to his athleticism and intangibles, but his offensive contributions have become a focal point of his first NBA campaign, especially in the jump-shooting department.
For a young player appearing to lack somewhat in the polish department offensively, Powell's scoring accuracy from certain spots on the floor is a welcome surprise for a Nets squad wishing to develop their prospects to become difference-makers at both ends of the floor.
Specifically, Powell's consistent in-between shot-making has elevated the University of North Carolina product to unforeseen heights among others at his position. According to stats from Cleaning the Glass, Powell's 57.7% two-point shooting percentage places him in the 89th percentile (No. 8 overall) of players in the category labeled as combo-guards, ahead of superstar shooting guards such as the Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell (57.5%) and the Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards (56.4%).
As more of a raw guard prospect who tends to prioritize his athleticism and the advantages that it can grant him in halfcourt settings, Powell has shown a complete willingness to call his own number and pull up in the mid-range. In fact, stats from Nets Film Room on X provide even more insight into his accurate scoring from inside the three-point line on jumpers.
Paired with his impressive ability to knock down his jump-shooting attempts from closer ranges, Powell's handle and poise when it comes to flowing into his shot cannot be ignored.
If the 6-foot-5 two-way talent continues to rise as an off-the-dribble shooter while maintaining his consistency as a gritty defensive piece, the value he could provide to a winning Nets organization might know no bounds.
In his first 30 NBA games to start his career, Powell has averaged a solid 6.4 points, 1.7 assists and 0.6 steals on a 54.0% effective field goal percentage, doing his best to assist his fellow rookie backcourt-mate Egor Dëmin on both sides of the ball.
His aggressive pursuit of the ball, never-say-die attitude and relentless trapping ability defensively might be what ends up making him his money in this league moving forward, but Powell could quickly become one of the more underrated two-way wings in the NBA if his jump-shooting remains a massive part of his game.