The Atlanta Hawks have selected Drake Powell with the No. 22 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, but will ship him to the Brooklyn Nets. The point guard played his college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Drake Powell played his high school basketball at Northwood in the state of North Carolina. There, he was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024. He was also the 13th-ranked player nationally, the fourth-ranked small forward, and the second-ranked player in the state. At the time, he was a McDonald’s All-American.

As a freshman in the 2024-25 season, Powell appeared in 37 games and made 25 starts for the Tar Heels. That included the final 11 games of the season for North Carolina. Over the course of the entire season, he averaged 25.6 minutes per game.

For the season, he averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He did that while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from three-point range, and 64.8 percent from the free throw line. On the defensive end of the floor, he averaged 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

As a team, North Carolina went 23-14 overall and 13-7 in ACC play last season. They’d make it to the NCAA Tournament but were eliminated following the first round of action.

Ahead of the NBA Draft, On3 expert James Fletcher broke down some of the top prospects available. That included Drake Powell, who he praised for his defensive capability.

“Drake Powell brings some of the best defensive tools in the draft class to the table, projecting as a high-level wing stopper in the NBA,” James Fletcher wrote. “The project he must invest in comes offensively, where he put up solid percentages on low volume as a freshman. Repeating the results on higher output remains a major question mark given the lack of increased role he saw.”

Experts agree that Drake Powell is a prospect who is still developing and will need some time. In his profile from RotoWire, he is praised for his athleticism, but also noted his lack of experience.

“Powell’s offensive game is still developing,” the profile reads. “He has a knack for finishing through contact and plays with an aggressive motor, which combines well with his elite athleticism. He’s also a connective playmaker. Powell can also get the job on defense due to his instincts and his athleticism, and his reads should improve as he gets more experience under his belt. As raw as he is, the potential is there.”

Now that Powell knows his NBA destination, he can turn his attention to developing into a well rounded professional. How long that takes remains to be seen.