On Tuesday night, we saw Drake Powell selected by the Atlanta Hawks—as part of a trade that then sent him to the Brooklyn Nets—with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. It was maybe a tad bit higher than most mock drafts tended to project him to go, but it’s hardly a surprise that someone with his talents and tools ended up being drafted that early.
The 22nd pick is obviously not quite the top 10, in terms of chances teams are generally willing to give players taken there. However, what the 22nd pick has done in recent years is produce some very solid NBA role players, which is hardly a bad outcome, even if no player dreams of that as a kid.