Drake Powell is a man of very few, very polite words. Always smiling, an enthusiastic small-talker, though to this point, Powell is not one for detailed conversation with the media. That’s certainly fine, but if you’re craving more than a cliché from the #22 overall pick, you’re going to be disappointed. When asked what Head Coach Jordi Fernández has implored him to focus on over the final month of his rookie season, Powell says: “Just continue to trust the simple play, and just, consistency every
night, and competing on the defensive end.”
This is a standard answer for the 20-year-old. Selfishly, I would love for Powell to provide more insight, just as many Nets fans would like to see him do more with the ball in his hands. Through 51 games with the Brooklyn Nets, Powell has taken 10+ field-goal attempts just four times. Given his pre-draft profile, which included one of the lowest NCAA usage-rates ever for a first-round pick, this isn’t too surprising. It can still be maddening, particularly because the flashes are so bright…
The rookie is shooting an abysmal 25.5% from three this calendar year, but 55% from two and 90% from the line for the season. Hey now. Powell is already one of the more interesting (or confounding, depending on your perspective) prospects the Nets have had in some time. It’d be nice to hear him discuss the vision for his offense beyond “continuing to be aggressive.”
He recently played three games with the G League’s Long Island Nets, averaging 15 points on 11 FGAs in three wins to begin March. In his first three games back with Brooklyn, Powell was more involved offensively (albeit with more minutes) culminating in a 4-of-13 performance with three assists against the Atlanta Hawks.
The tentative rookie praised the synergy between the G League and NBA sides, saying, “I think it’s just all one club. And the coaches down there, they’ve been up in Brooklyn during the summer, the time that I had over here, which was good.”
Powell also praised Head Coach Mfon Udofia, now in his third year, as a “great leader. Talks to me one-on-one, before and after the game. So yeah, he’s been great over there.”
This, however, is more than just a cliché from Powell. Udofia and his staff have been getting rave reviews since he took the job. Recall Noah Clowney’s breakout performances at the end of the 2023-24 season, when he was called up to Brooklyn to end his rookie campaign…
Kevin Ollie, then the interim head coach in Brooklyn, had this to say about Clowney’s development: “He’s just growing down there, Mfon [Udofia] is doing a great job coaching him. Their coaching staff is doing a great job coaching him and putting him in positions to succeed, and he’s letting his seeds grow.”
Two years later, current head coach Jordi Fernández is delivering the same message, though after I used the phrase “down in Long Island,” he had to correct me: “One thing: We don’t like to call it ‘down’ or ‘up’ for obvious reasons. It’s a very good league where young players develop, and we’re the same club, so we have the same coaches. And to your question, I give them all the credit in the world. Like, [the players] come here, I don’t even have to practice with them. They’re ready to play, and they know what we’re doing. So a lot of credit to [Mfon] and the rest of the staff with how they’ve competed.”
And Fernández isn’t BS’ing. In each of the past four games, Brooklyn’s bench has far outperformed their starters. That’s a bench led by two-way players E.J. Liddell, Chaney Johnson, and Tyson Etienne, with appearances from Josh Minott, Ben Saraf, and recent 10-day contract signee Malachi Smith. And before that, who could forget The Grant Nelson Game? All have played for Long Island this season, some more than others (39 appearances for Smith). These players may not led Brooklyn to the Finals anytime soon, and if even one becomes an NBA rotation player, it’s a major success. Still, it’s tough to argue with the results. Over the past couple seasons — particularly in the spring — Brooklyn has taken healthy swings on players that thrived with their G League unit.
“It’s great group of guys down there,” said Josh Minott at Monday’s shootaround. “You know, the training staff really helped me with my ankle and things like that. So I don’t really notice any type of difference in terms of the professionalism, and just how those guys handle themselves, and we got to string together a couple wins. Overall, it’s just a great experience to get down there and, you know, get my bearings back.”
After the Nets acquired him in a trade with the Boston Celtics, Minott played three games in Long Island before quickly winning over some hearts in Brooklyn. March basketball, not always so miserable!
Chaney Johnson hopes to be next up. Three years playing Division II basketball, two seasons with the Auburn Tigers, a stint with the Cleveland Charge, then a two-way signing with Brooklyn/Long Island. Now the 23-year-old is finally getting NBA minutes.
In Tuesday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Johnson had a career night in his fifth NBA appearance despite playing a brand-new position…
Postgame, Johnson credited the Long-Island-to-Brooklyn-pipeline beyond the identical sets and terminology: “Coach [Udofia] and all the other coaches just give us confidence. I mean, basketball, you can put in all the work. You know, I hang my hat on hard work, but if you don’t have the confidence, then the work not gonna really get you nowhere, for real. So he just instilled confidence in us.”
General Manager Sean Marks has now held his position for a decade. Near the very beginning, in 2016, the Long Island Nets played their first game. In 2026, they are now a vital part of the franchise, particularly during a rebuild. Neither Joe Harris or Spencer Dinwiddie — two of Marks’ uncovered gems in the early days — played a single second for the Long Island Nets. It’d likely be a lot different today.
Jordi Fernández explains it simply: “They play the right way.”
The Long Island Nets play their next game on Tuesday night, continuing their playoff push with a visit to the Osceola Magic. The Brooklyn Nets, rostering plenty of Long Island call-ups, play their next game on Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
