Drake Powell's Minutes Shrink Early in the Nets' 2026-27 Season
Drake Powell has played four games to open the 2026-27 season, and his minutes have been short and inconsistent. He is not on the injury report. Last season he was a rotation piece for Brooklyn, playing 63 games at 20.9 minutes a night.
By the Nets Nightly Desk · updated 6 d ago01The story of the nightA Light Workload So FarFour games into the season, Drake Powell's role has been limited.
Four games into the season, Drake Powell's role has been limited. He played 12.5 minutes against Charlotte on October 6, scoring 9 points. Two nights later against Philadelphia, his minutes went up slightly to 14.4, but his scoring dropped to 4 points. Against Washington on October 12, he logged 10.4 minutes and 3 points. Then against Miami on October 14, his night was cut to just 5.7 minutes, and he did not score. Brooklyn lost the opener to Miami, then beat Washington, Philadelphia and Charlotte. Powell has not had a big offensive game yet this season, and his minutes have trended down over his last two outings rather than up.
02What He Did Last SeasonPowell appeared in 63 games for Brooklyn last season, averaging 20.9 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Powell appeared in 63 games for Brooklyn last season, averaging 20.9 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He added 0.6 steals and 0.2 blocks a night, with 1.0 turnovers. His shooting lines were modest: 40.2 percent from the field, 28.0 percent from three and 89.6 percent from the free-throw line, for a true shooting mark of 52.1 percent. His usage rate sat at 14.9 percent, and his plus-minus for the season was minus-7.1. Those numbers made him a bench piece rather than a focal point of the offense, but he was a regular part of Brooklyn's rotation for most of the season, suiting up in the large majority of Brooklyn's games.
03Health ReportPowell is not on the injury report heading into this stretch of the season.
Powell is not on the injury report heading into this stretch of the season. There is no injury history listed for him. That clean bill of health is part of why he has been available for all four of Brooklyn's games so far this season, even though his playing time has been inconsistent. For a 21-year-old still early in his career, staying off the injury report matters: availability is the first step toward building trust with the coaching staff and carving out a bigger role as the season goes on.
04Who Is Drake PowellPowell is a 21-year-old guard-forward out of North Carolina, listed at 6-foot-6 and 212 pounds.
Powell is a 21-year-old guard-forward out of North Carolina, listed at 6-foot-6 and 212 pounds. He wears number 4 for Brooklyn and is entering his second season in the league after one year of NBA experience. His combination of size and position flexibility at guard-forward fits the kind of role Brooklyn has used him in: a depth piece who can soak up minutes on the wing. He played his college basketball at North Carolina before turning pro, and last season was his rookie look at NBA minutes, playing in 63 games for Brooklyn.
05How Last Season FinishedPowell's minutes were heavier down the stretch of last season than they have been so far this year.
Powell's minutes were heavier down the stretch of last season than they have been so far this year. On April 3 against Atlanta he played 28.6 minutes, scoring 6 points in a loss. Two days later against Washington, he played 29.4 minutes and scored 13 points in a win. On April 7 against Milwaukee, in a win, he logged a season-high 40.5 minutes with 11 points. He followed that with 20.1 minutes against Indiana and 25.2 minutes against Toronto to close things out. That stretch showed Brooklyn was willing to lean on him for extended minutes late last season, a contrast to his short outings so far in October.
Powell6.5 ppg
