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Drake Powell has the type of defensive upside and low-maintenance offensive game to be a perfect fit for the Sixers.
Before the 2025 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 3 and 35. Next up in this series is North Carolina’s Drake Powell.
A former five-star recruit out of Durham, Powell came to UNC with a reputation as one of the most versatile defenders in his class. While his freshman season didn’t feature eye-popping box score numbers, his advanced metrics, physical profile, and flashes on both ends of the floor have kept him firmly on NBA radars. With a 7-foot-0 wingspan, elite vertical pop, and a developing outside shot, Powell offers a tantalizing blend of athletic tools and long-term upside — especially for a team willing to be patient with his offensive development.
The
Sixers will be looking for complementary wings who can play around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey while also growing into bigger roles down the line. Powell’s mix of defensive upside, positional size, and low-maintenance offensive game could check a lot of boxes — particularly at No. 35, where high-upside bets are more appealing than polished specialists.
Profile
2024-25 Stats: 37 games, 25.6 minutes, 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, 48.3 FG%, 37.9 3P%, 64.8 FT%
Team: North Carolina
Year: Freshman
Position: G/F
Height and Weight: 6’5.25” (without shoes) and 200.4 pounds
Born: September 8, 2005 (18 years old)
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Strengths
Drake Powell enters the 2025
NBA Draft as one of the most physically gifted and defensively promising wings in his class. Standing 6’5.25” barefoot with a massive 7’0” wingspan and a jaw-dropping 43.0-inch max vertical, Powell’s measurements at the NBA Draft Combine confirmed what the eye test already showed: he’s a freak athlete. His elite blend of length, quickness, and vertical pop gives him a strong foundation to impact the game on both ends of the floor, but his most immediate calling card is his defense, where his motor, tools, and instincts shine.
On that end, Powell is already a disruptive presence. He’s a dynamic on-ball defender who can stay in front of quick guards, while also having the strength and wingspan to contain wings and even contest bigger forwards. His lateral agility and competitiveness allow him to suffocate ball-handlers and navigate screens, while his timing and length translate into consistent activity in the passing lanes. He averaged 0.7 blocks per game as a freshman at UNC — an impressive number for a wing — and showed an ability to rotate over as a help defender, close out hard without fouling, and alter shots with vertical contests. In a league increasingly driven by switchability and positional versatility, Powell checks a lot of boxes defensively.
Offensively, Powell may not have been featured heavily in North Carolina’s guard-heavy system, but he quietly displayed real growth as a floor-spacer and secondary threat. He shot a promising 37.9% from three-point range on modest volume, with clean, repeatable mechanics that project well moving forward. Most of his damage came on spot-ups, but he looked increasingly comfortable stepping into catch-and-shoot opportunities and showed glimpses of shooting off movement. In transition, his long strides and leaping ability make him a reliable above-the-rim finisher, and he moves well without the ball, cutting hard and staying ready to attack seams in the defense.
Beyond the defense and shooting, there’s also encouraging connective tissue in his game. Powell doesn’t force the issue and tends to make smart, unselfish decisions within the flow of the offense. He averaged 1.1 assists per game and showed flashes of passing vision off the dribble, particularly on drive-and-kick sequences. His ball-handling still has room to grow, but he’s flashed potential as a straight-line driver and displayed the body control to finish through contact. With a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1 to 0.7) and solid rebounding for his position (3.4 RPG), Powell offers a low-usage, two-way skill set that’s valuable in almost any NBA context. As one of the younger prospects in the class with elite athletic tools and improving shooting, Powell offers clear 3-and-D upside with room to grow into more.
Weaknesses
Despite his tantalizing physical tools and defensive upside, Powell remains a work in progress on the offensive end, and questions about his scoring mentality have persisted since his high school and AAU days.
In showcase environments like the Pangos All-American Camp, Powell often looked passive and reluctant to hunt his own shot. That tendency carried over into his freshman season at UNC, where he averaged just 7.4 points per game and rarely asserted himself as a consistent scoring threat. While he played within the flow of the offense, his lack of aggression and assertiveness limited his impact and raised concerns about whether he can ever develop into more than a low-usage, off-ball option.
One of the biggest red flags is his inconsistency as a shooter. Although Powell shot 37.9% from three this past season, the low volume (2.6 attempts per game) and concerning 64.8% free throw percentage cast some doubt on how sustainable that outside shooting will be at the NBA level. His mechanics are mostly clean, but he has a tendency to dip the ball too far before releasing, which adds time to his shot and leaves him more vulnerable to contests. He also struggles to generate offense off the dribble — both as a pull-up shooter and a driver — lacking a reliable go-to move, change-of-pace handle, or confident finishing package in tight spaces.
His offensive skill set is still relatively raw in the halfcourt. Without a polished handle or strong self-creation ability, Powell has trouble breaking down defenders or creating space against set defenses. His scoring often depends on rhythm and opportunities created by others, which limits his ability to take over games or shift momentum. At times, he can go through extended stretches without leaving much of a mark offensively, choosing to defer even when more assertiveness is warranted. If he’s going to grow into a starting-caliber wing, becoming more comfortable attacking mismatches and taking shots with confidence will be essential.
Even on the defensive end — where he brings legitimate value — Powell isn’t without flaws. His length and quickness allow him to cover ground, but he can be overly aggressive on closeouts, leading to blow-bys or unnecessary rotations. He also tends to gamble for steals, occasionally taking himself out of position and putting extra pressure on his teammates to recover. While those issues are coachable and common for young defenders, they highlight the need for more discipline and refinement. Ultimately, Powell remains a high-upside prospect with elite athletic traits, but unlocking his full potential will require growth in offensive assertiveness, shooting consistency, and decision-making on both ends.
Potential Fit in Philly
With the Sixers aiming to balance their win-now timeline around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with long-term developmental upside, Powell’s unique two-way profile could make him an intriguing fit alongside the team’s core. His blend of size, elite athleticism, and defensive versatility offers immediate utility, especially in a rotation that includes two high-usage scorers in Embiid and Maxey.
Defensively, Powell’s upside is hard to ignore. He has the tools to defend multiple positions, which could allow the Sixers to toggle between bigger and smaller lineups without sacrificing perimeter integrity. His lateral quickness, competitive edge, and ability to block shots from the wing (0.7 BPG as a freshman) give him real value as a multi-positional stopper. In lineups where Embiid anchors the paint and George takes on the toughest wing assignment, Powell could function as a flexible off-ball disruptor, rotating, helping, and cleaning up mistakes with his length and instincts. He brings a level of athleticism and energy that could raise the floor of Philadelphia’s second-unit defense immediately, with the potential to grow into a trusted switchable wing.
On offense, Powell’s fit is more about projection than plug-and-play readiness. He’s not someone who needs the ball in his hands to be effective, which works well on a team with multiple scoring options. His improved three-point shot and clean spot-up mechanics could allow him to develop into a reliable catch-and-shoot threat, especially if playing off Maxey’s downhill drives or George’s on-ball gravity.
Long-term, his ceiling will hinge on how much his offensive game evolves, particularly in terms of self-creation and consistency. But in Philadelphia, he wouldn’t be asked to do too much too soon. Surrounded by veterans and scorers, Powell could grow at a steady pace, focusing on defense, transition play, and spot-up shooting while slowly expanding his offensive responsibilities. Whether as a low-usage fifth starter down the line or a defensive-minded rotation wing early on, Powell aligns with the Sixers’ need for versatile athletes who can support their stars without demanding touches. If he buys into a role and continues to develop, the payoff could be significant.
Draft Projection
Powell’s draft projection ranges drastically compared to other prospects. Some mock drafts have him going just outside the lottery, while others feature him dropping deep into the second round. Ultimately, it’s hard to imagine him falling much farther than the late second to early second round — where several win-now teams (Minnesota, Boston, L.A. Clippers, Phoenix) would likely take a swing on him.
However, if a team is confident in his upside beyond basic 3-and-D scoring, he could comfortably be a first-round selection. His physical tools, defensive versatility, and flashes of offensive growth make him an appealing long-term bet. In a class lacking surefire wings, Powell’s ceiling — particularly if he continues to develop his shot and assertiveness — could entice a front office willing to invest in his trajectory.
