Drake Powell is the only Nets rookie yet to appear during Summer League or the preseason. That could change during Friday's meeting with the Phoenix Suns in Macao. After missing much of the offseason due to left knee tendinopathy, the Nets removed Powell from their injury report ahead of their first matchup in China.
Powell was limited to open training camp due to his knee injury. However, the No. 22 pick participated in five-on-five scrimmages early last week.
Nets rookie Drake Powell available to make Brooklyn debut during Suns matchup
Michael Porter praised Powell's athleticism during the team's scrimmages, calling the rookie a “freak.”
“He has a foundation to keep building on his skillset. He’s obviously very young, very raw, but he’s comfortable in the mid-range, he’s knocked down a few threes in a scrimmage,” Porter Jr. said. “I just feel like with his frame and his height, if he keeps focused, then he can just keep elevating.”
Friday will mark Powell's first game action since his final game at North Carolina. The 6-foot-6 wing appeared in 37 games for the Tar Heels with 24 starts. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 48/38/65 shooting splits in 25.6 minutes per game.
Powell will join Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf as Brooklyn's rookies active on Friday. Saraf started at point guard during Saturday's 123-88 win over Hapoel Jerusalem. He played 18 minutes, posting nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with six assists and one turnover while finishing a team-best +25 during a 123-88 win over Hapoel Jerusalem.
Traore also played 18 minutes, finishing with seven points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 from three with two assists and one turnover. Meanwhile, Wolf posted five points, five rebounds and five assists on 2-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes.
Brooklyn's matchup with Phoenix on Friday will tip off at 8AM EST, followed by a 7AM EST tip during Sunday's rematch.
