The Brooklyn Nets sent rookie first-round pick Drake Powell down to the G League on Friday amid an extended shooting slump. Powell, the No. 19 pick in the 2025 draft, had been a bright spot for Brooklyn for extended stretches earlier this season.
The North Carolina product has continued to make a defensive impact at the NBA level using his seven-foot wingspan and elite athleticism. He's also shown encouraging offensive flashes in spurts. Powell averaged 6.4 points on 46.0 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent from three in 16.9 minutes per game across his first 30 appearances.
However, he's struggled to find his rhythm offensively as of late.
Nets send Drake Powell down to G League amid extended slump, call up Ben Saraf
Powell has averaged 5.2 points on 35.4 percent shooting from the field and 20.9 percent from three in 19.1 minutes per game over his last 17 appearances. The Nets have utilized the G League to get their NBA-record five rookie first-round picks extended reps throughout this season.
After struggling during the preseason and his first regular-season NBA appearances, the Nets sent Nolan Traore down to Long Island for an extended stretch. Following an impressive G League run, the French floor general rejoined Brooklyn and has since become the team's full-time starting point guard.
With Powell in Long Island, rookie Ben Saraf could see extended minutes in the Nets' rotation. Brooklyn called up Saraf on Friday after he spent an extended period in the G League. While he's struggled during his NBA appearances, the Israeli point guard has averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists on .423/.373/.759 shooting splits across 15 outings with Long Island.
