Making the Leap: Dwight Powell, Season 2 Vol. 7

0
1223

We all remember the Rajon Rondo Mavericks trade right? Well minus Rondo being a disaster, only players involved in the deal actually benefited from it. For example Jae Crowder has been great for Boston and I talked about him making the leap last year.  He has certainly done that but today I’ll be talking about another player inolved in that deal in Dwight Powell, who at the time was looked at mostly to even out the salary on both sides.

Dwight Powell was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 45th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was then traded a month later to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before the 2014-2015 season began he was dealt yet again this time to the Boston Celtics. Powell struggled to find any sort of playing time with Boston; playing in only 5 games. Once he was dealt to Dallas he did find some playing time on the court, playing 24 games and averaging 3.8 points.

This past year we have seen improvements in his game. He became a part of the rotation towards the end of the season and became a solid player for the Mavericks. Head Coach Rick Carlisle tweaked the starting lineup and times and when he put both Powell and Justin Anderson in there it helped out the team make the playoffs in the end.

After being just an "add-on" to the Rajon Rondo trade two seasons ago, Dwight Powell took a nice step forward this past season and looks to improve even more (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
After being just an “add-on” to the Rajon Rondo trade two seasons ago, Dwight Powell took a nice step forward this past season and looks to improve even more (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dwight Powell 2015-2016 regular season averages: 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 49.3%. Playing in 69 games and started in two of them.

These might not be eye popping numbers, but towards the end of the season once he received more playing time he produced nicely on the court. He was a restricted free agent but recently re-signed with the Mavericks for 4 years, $37 million.

So for year three what should we might expect for the former Stanford Cardinal. I really think that he will be a key part of the rotation this year and going forward, I mean they did not sign him to this big of a deal to just ride the bench.

Powell has the sign and rebounding ability to play the 5, as well as his regular position at the 4. The frontcourt starters are set with Dirk Nowitzki at the 4 and Andrew Bogut at the 5, but I would not be surprised if he is the first big man to come off the bench. Towards the end of this past season he had double-double nights and I think this trend will continue for him.

As far as the future I think he he plays well with more playing time and opportunities down the stretch he could very well be the next starting power forward for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki is not getting any younger and eventually the era will be over with him. It is good that they signed a guy like Powell now to see if he can be that guy. It just goes to show that sometimes even the “add-on” or “salary dump” players in trades have the potential to be an important piece of a team in the future.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here