We are 28 days away from the 2025 NBA Draft, and, as with every draft news cycle, there are winners and losers. “Families are always rising or falling in America,” said literary legend Nathaniel Hawthorne. The same is true for NBA Draft prospects. One of the winners, this pre-draft period, is Drake Powell, a 2024 McDonald’s All-American and North Carolina Tar Heels one-and-done.
Powell, who very recently make it official that he’s staying in the draft and forgoing the rest of his collegiate eligibility, has seen his draft stock surge the past few weeks.
Drake Powell, who was at the scouting combine, but didn’t participate in the 5-on-5, said he models his game on four-time NBA All-Star and Phoenix Suns all-time leading scorer Devin Booker.
“I like his game a lot,” Powell said in an exclusive with RG. “[I also take] a little bit of Jrue Holiday as well.” Those are sky high comps to be sure, but the Durham, NC native certainly has the raw talent to try and reach that rarified air. 24/7 Sports rated him a 5-star prospect and the #2 small forward in the ’24 recruiting class.
He projects as a 3-and-D player in the league, and he really augmented his stock at CAA Pro Day.
Drake Powell vs SMU
17 PTS (6-13 FG, 4-6 3PT) pic.twitter.com/3LE4BssR5n
— Tar Heel Tapes (@TarHeelTapes) January 8, 2025
You can see where we have him, in our latest NBA mock draft, here.
However, the 6-6, 195-pound wing really needs to work on his offensive game, as his defense is far ahead of his offense right now. His numbers from his one season in Chapel Hill aren’t impressive- averaging 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
However, his recent draft stock skyrocket is all about his ultimate potential, and not his statistical production.
In mid-season, most of the mocks had Drake Powell in the mid-second round range. Today, we often see him in the mid to late first, just outside the lottery.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter
