College basketball is full of unexpected storylines, but every now and then, a comparison pops up that grabs everyone’s attention — especially in Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels have watched more than a few stars carve out NBA futures in ways nobody predicted early in their careers. And this season, one comparison has begun echoing louder and louder across college basketball circles: the sudden and surprising way Arkansas’ Billy Richmond is starting to look a lot like former UNC standout and first-round pick Drake Powell.
That’s right. Drake Powell — the gritty, defensive-minded, athletic wing who left North Carolina after a strong freshman season and worked his way into becoming the No. 22 pick in the NBA Draft. The same Drake Powell who scouts praised for his instincts, intangibles, and relentless playing motor. The same Drake Powell whose impact wasn’t always loud but was always felt.
Now, that very blueprint — the UNC blueprint — is suddenly being connected to Billy Richmond, a player who wasn’t expected to enter that conversation so quickly. But here we are, four games into Arkansas’ season, and Richmond’s name is beginning to bubble in ways that are hard to ignore.
And if this UNC comparison holds true, Richmond’s entire NBA future may be shifting before our eyes.
A Rising Arkansas Star — Built From UNC DNA
If you turn on an Arkansas game this season, you’re probably watching with the same curiosity a lot of UNC fans have right now: How does Billy Richmond keep popping up in draft conversations that once seemed miles away? The answer, surprisingly, circles right back to Chapel Hill.
Last season, Drake Powell showed that you don’t need a 20-point scoring average or a highlight reel of deep threes to become a first-round NBA pick. What you need is a mix of athleticism, effort, positional versatility, and a willingness to do the things that winning teams value.
Richmond checks those boxes — nearly identically.
Powell was praised by NBA scouts for:
Physical tools
Defensive instincts
High motor
Selflessness
Off-court intangibles
These aren’t flashy traits. They’re foundational traits — the kind that get players drafted higher than their scoring averages might suggest. And guess who is earning that exact same praise in Fayetteville?
Billy Richmond.
Ask John Calipari. Ask Arkansas fans. Ask the analysts who are starting to whisper his name in mock draft discussions. Richmond isn’t the flashiest Razorback — that honor belongs to the elite backcourt duo of Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas, plus scoring machine Karter Knox. But he’s becoming the piece that holds everything together.
And in a surprise twist that UNC fans can appreciate, Richmond’s path is starting to look like the Razorbacks’ very own Drake Powell 2.0.
The Stat Lines Tell a Story — And the Similarities Are Hard to Ignore
Before anyone brushes off the Powell-to-Richmond comparison as media hype or early-season noise, it’s important to acknowledge the numbers — because they tell a compelling story.
Drake Powell at UNC:
7.4 points
3.4 rebounds
1.1 assists
1.4 stocks (steals + blocks)
57/38/65 shooting
58.1% true shooting
Billy Richmond last season at Arkansas:
5.7 points
3.0 rebounds
1.4 assists
0.9 stocks
57/13/73 shooting
56.4% true shooting
The similarities are eye-opening. But what’s even more attention-grabbing is the one area that separated Powell from Richmond: three-point shooting.
Powell hit 38% from deep. Richmond? He didn’t make a single regular-season three.
And that should have been the end of the comparison — the gap too large to fill.
Except Richmond is starting to fill it.
This season, he’s already made three three-pointers in the first four games, shooting 30%. That may not sound earth-shattering, but context matters: he made only two all last season. He has clearly worked on his perimeter shot. His mechanics look smoother. His confidence looks higher. And most importantly, his true shooting percentage stayed strong at 56.5%.
Improvement plus consistency? Scouts love that.
That was Powell’s entire draft story.
And now, Billy Richmond might be writing the sequel.
The X-Factor Traits — UNC Fans Know These Well
Every UNC fan remembers watching Powell play and thinking, “He just makes winning plays.” Maybe not every box score loved him, but every coach did. Every scout did. Every possession he touched was infused with purpose.
That’s exactly how the Arkansas staff describes Richmond.
This season, Richmond’s 10-point, 5-rebound, hustle-heavy performance against Samford caught national attention — not because of the points, but because of everything else. Loose balls. Defensive stops. Rebounds in traffic. The kind of plays that swing momentum.
Calipari didn’t talk about Richmond’s shooting first. Or his scoring. He talked about everything else:
“Nothing seems to phase him.”
“He can play multiple positions.”
“If I asked him to play the five, he’d say ‘Okay.’”
That is Drake Powell energy — through and through.
UNC fans know it. NBA scouts know it. Coaches know it. When you can guard multiple positions, run the floor, make smart decisions, bring energy, and remain coachable, you can play in the NBA for a long time.
And Richmond is showing all the early signs of being that type of player.
The UNC Effect: A Blueprint Richmond Is Quietly Following
What makes this story even more fascinating is that Richmond doesn’t just resemble Powell in style — he resembles the UNC developmental model itself.
Consider this pattern:
A wing with elite athletic tools
Not a high-volume scorer
Not yet a great shooter
But physically gifted, high-motor, and coachable
Improves shot making between Year 1 and Year 2
Becomes a rotational anchor
Gains draft buzz late
Climbs into the first round
That was Drake Powell’s script.
And now, that’s Richmond’s path.
Even Arkansas fans admit that Richmond feels like a “glue guy” with NBA upside — but UNC fans have seen that profile succeed before. Powell proved the archetype works. NBA teams now have a recent example of exactly how a player like this can translate.
Which means Richmond benefits directly from Powell’s success.
UNC fans may not be rooting for Arkansas, but they can easily recognize a familiar journey when they see one.
The Razorback Reality — Richmond Could Be the Surprise Name in 2026
Arkansas already has a trio of hyped first-round prospects. Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas, and Karter Knox are the program’s headline makers. They’re the ones opponents scout for. They’re the ones who command the most defensive attention.
And that’s precisely what makes Richmond dangerous.
With defenses preoccupied, Richmond gets cleaner looks, safer driving lanes, and far more freedom to focus on defense and energy.
Just like Powell did in Chapel Hill.
Richmond is not being asked to be Arkansas’ star. He’s being asked to be Arkansas’ edge.
And that’s the role NBA teams love drafting late in the first round.
If Richmond’s shooting continues upward, if he maintains his defensive activity, and if he stays consistent, then the question becomes obvious:
If Drake Powell was a first-rounder… why not Billy Richmond?
The Path Forward — And How the UNC Comparison Keeps Growing
Richmond’s story is still unfolding. He isn’t Powell yet. But he’s starting to look more and more like a player who could follow Powell’s path:
Relentless defender
High motor
Improving shooter
Position versatility
Trust of his coach
Impact beyond the box score
And that’s why this comparison matters — not just for UNC fans, but for NBA evaluators, Arkansas supporters, and college basketball observers everywhere.
Drake Powell built a template for non-superstar freshmen to reach the NBA through grit, growth, and intangibles.
Now Billy Richmond is walking that same path.
And if the connection continues strengthening, don’t be surprised when his name climbs into legitimate 2026 NBA Draft conversations.
Because the UNC blueprint works — and Richmond might be the next player to prove it.
