If there’s any player on the Mavericks that always draws the ire of the fanbase, it’s Dwight Powell. The 26-year-old was traded to Dallas in December 2014 as the other player the Mavs received in the infamous Rajon Rondo trade. That’s probably enough to leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth about a certain player, right? Guilty by association.
The main reason Mavs fans loathe the 6’11” Canada-native is because he signed a four year, $37 million contract in the summer of 2016. To most, that’s a terrible contract and Powell’s lack of consistent performance makes him constantly the subject of fake trades Mavs fans come up with during the summer. Sadly, Dwight Powell will enter the season as the third-highest paid Maverick while making just over $9 million this season. That’s kind of a hard pill to swallow because it’s obviously not right, but that’s not his fault. He just took the offer he was given and guys like Dirk Nowitzki decided to take less. We can praise Dirk for taking less at this point in his career, but we decide to hate Dwight Powell for signing a slightly below average contract for a free agent these days. Fair? Obviously not.
2016-2017 Year in Review
There were high expectations for Powell heading into last season. It was his third season in the league and the ink was still drying on his big, new contract. Powell appeared in 77 games, a new career high after appearing in 69 games in 2015-2016, and averaged 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game. Those 17.3 minutes per game ranked 9th among Mavericks who weren’t either 10-day contracts or traded at some point in the season. Powell’s minutes per game are the biggest focus because he can seem to be a frequent resident of Coach Rick Carlisle‘s Dog House. Justin Anderson might have been his roommate in there before he was traded in the deal for Nerlens Noel at the trade deadline.
The best month for Powell was December when he averaged 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in a hefty 23 minutes per game. Most impressively, he shot close to 63% from the field. Unfortunately, Powell’s minutes and opportunities only decreased from there. His minutes dipped to as low as 11.1 per game in February. It was the kind of month where every waiter and bartender knew Powell’s order the moment he walked into the “Carlisle Dog House Bar and Grill.” That’s embarrassing in real life, so imagine how Powell felt in this imaginary place related to his basketball career.
2017-2018 Season Outlook
It still seems unclear what kind of role Josh McRoberts will have on this team. If he has any role this season, it will likely mean even less opportunities for Powell. If McRoberts was just a salary maneuvering move, Powell should probably average at least 23-25 minutes per night in a backup big man role. His minutes can also be closely related to those of Dirk Nowitzki. The Big German’s minutes have been closely monitored the last several seasons and were a decently low 26 per game last season. It’s hard to imagine them getting even lower than that if he’s healthier and just as or more effective than he was last year, but again, those lost minutes would likely go to Powell.
The ball is in Powell’s court to make the most of any increase in opportunities he might get this season. The team committed a decent amount of money to him and obviously wants him to succeed. The glaringly obvious aspect of his game that needs improvement is his midrange and outside shooting. It’s basically a requirement for a big man in this era of NBA basketball and it’s something that Powell has struggled to improve upon over the course of his three pro seasons.
Not to suggest that he is trying to be in the Three Point Competition or anything this season, but Powell did step out of his comfort zone in attempting shots from beyond the arc last year. After going 2 for 16 on three pointers in 2015-2016, Powell made 21 of 74 three pointers in 2016-2017. Even though he only shot 28%, he deserves praise for having the confidence to take those shots in a game. If Powell can get over 30% from beyond the arc this season, it would be a big step in the right direction. While his vertical game at the rim is obviously his strength, a respectable shooting stroke is still the key to Powell becoming a permanent rotation player in the NBA.
Stats via Basketball Reference and ESPN.
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