Why are you the only one that sees it this way? I mean, I get differences of opinion and I generally like reading your thoughts and see you as a pretty knowledgeable poaster. But you seem to be in the minority here at this board (not saying much there) but even basketball analysts and those in the business saw Drake as THE guy next year for us if he had come back. I made the comparison to Eddie Jones and Josh Howard. Do you not think Drake has that kind of potential? Granted, the NBA game is different now and maybe those roles of Eddie Jones and Josh Howard don't really have a place so much anymore. But those two players came to mind after watching Drake this season. Elite, yet understated athleticism - meaning it's there but he doesn't feel the need to show it off at all times. He moves like a pro on the court - fluid and smooth, especially defensively. Never chaotic or spastic, under control and poised. He showed to have limited offensive ability but I'm of the thought he took a back seat role to RJ's ball dominance. And as I've said in other poasts about Drake, I feel the way he played this year is evidence of him being a good teammate and being coachable. He tried to fit in where he could and give to the team what it lacked. He didn't try to take over. He knew we had a guy for that. That shows a maturity that is rare in today's players. But I believe if he knew it was his team, he'd be willing to be the offensive lightning rod we'll need. He's not a shotmaker in the mold of RJ or Ian. But he's crafty, long, and mostly fearless. I could have seen him getting lots of buckets at the rim or at the FT line. I'm not at all worried about his FT percentage this year. That would have improved exponentially with more reps.
I do have to admit, after hearing that Elliot Cadeau is generational from a large chunk of this board, even into his second year, I'm going to be very cautious bringing up "special" or anything synonymous with that kind of hype. And if Powell stayed at UNC for year 2, I get the feeling the narrative was heading into that direction and that wasn't based on what I saw during the games. I saw a talented player who is developing fine at his own pace. But a player who has clear weaknesses and limitations that he's going to absolutely have to correct to become the player he can become. That in it of itself doesn't sound "special" to me. That sounds like the vast vast vast majority of college basketball players.
And regarding last season. I understand RJ takes a lot of the shots and dribbles. But this team was desperately looking for a #2 option all season long. The opportunities were there to take it. Powell didn't take it because he wasn't good enough to last season. I don't think it was because he's a great teammate. IMO, that's really spinning it in favor of Powell. He simply wasn't good enough last season for that responsibility. And in fairness to him, no one else was either, lol.
When I say he's 2 years away from being 2 years away, that's not saying he doesn't have potential. That's just saying I think he'd be a developmental prospect during his UNC career. He can go and terrorize the NBA for all I know. But I never saw special at UNC. I honestly thought Ian Jackson showed much more as a college prospect. In the NBA? Honestly, it can go either way there IMO. This is how I would "grade" Drake Powell. I'm not a talent evaluator but I probably watch more NBA than 90% of the posters here so I may have a better grasp of what works there and what doesn't (not by much though, lol).
Strengths:
- Obviously a plus-level defender who can defend some (not all) PGs and all 2s and 3s. I actually think playing the 4 for a period will end up being excellent for his development. He's going to face wings in the NBA that are built like college 4s. And NBA teams aren't opposed to playing small and playing dudes out of position.
- Competitor and unafraid. He didn't make many clutch shots at UNC, but he was unafraid to take them. That's important in my book.
Weaknesses:
- Ball handling. Right now, this is why he's a wing. He can't handle the ball and certainly cannot shoot off the dribble. So he also cannot create offense for his teammates. Very few SGs do not have the ability to create their own or teammates shots off the dribble in the NBA. (ball handling is a limitation that didn't allow Harrison Barnes to develop into an All Star level player)
- Free throw shooting. A tad unfair because he didn't shoot a ton of them but he shot enough to be concerned about his sub 70% FT shooting.
- Shot preparation. I think he has really poor footwork going into his shot. He sets up on his toes, which looks odd to me but his overall prerpation is pretty bad right now and it's partly a reason his shot takes forever to get up. He will obviously improve upon this and will need to. At the next level, players close out faster and they're longer. You have to be able to get your shot off quickly by doing your work early. IMO, a huge weakness right now.
Unknowns:
- 3PT shooting. Shot a good percentage. Will that translate to the next level shooting deeper 3s? I don't know. I'm probably a bit bearish unless his pre-shot preparation improves a lot. But it's an unknown and he can certainly get to where he needs to get to.
- Playmaking. He's such a limited ball handler right now that I don't know if this is a skill that's at a good or bad level.
- His longterm position. If he stays limited as a ballhandler, then he's going to be a wing. If the ballhandling improves a lot, is he a 2 or a 3?
