Brooklyn Nets rookie Drake Powell has been sidelined by another right ankle injury. After he exited Friday's loss to the Miami Heat with a right ankle sprain, the Nets ruled Powell out for Sunday's home matchup with the Toronto Raptors.
Powell sprained his ankle in the first quarter of the Heat loss and was promptly ruled out. The No. 22 pick sprained the same ankle twice early this season after missing most of the offseason due to left knee tendinopathy.
Powell was walking around in the Nets' locker room postgame with no boot and only a slight limp. Still, a third sprain to the same ankle, not even a third of the way through the season, could hold him out for an extended period.
Nets rookie Drake Powell sidelined for Raptors matchup due to ankle injury
Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell (4) hangs on the rim after a slam dunk over Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III (35) during the second quarter at Capital One Arena.
Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
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Powell was somewhat of a mystery man after not appearing at Summer League and missing six games during the opening weeks of the season. However, the rookie wing has been impactful over the last month as a full-time member of Brooklyn's rotation.
Powell has averaged 7.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists on .475/.378/.952 shooting splits in 21.3 minutes per game across 15 appearances, during which he played over 10 minutes.
Despite posting a 13.9 percent usage rate as a freshman at North Carolina, the 19-year-old has shown potential as an on-ball creator while continuing to shoot respectably from three. Defensively, he's used his seven-foot wingspan and explosive athleticism to bother opposing guards and wings.
With Powell sidelined, fellow rookie Nolan Traore could receive his first extended NBA opportunity in over six weeks. The Nets called Traore up last week after a stellar stretch in the G League. However, he played only 18 total minutes across two games.