The 2018 NBA Manifesto
Dwight Powell
PF/C - 6’11, 240lbs - 26 years old - 4 years of experience
Even if he struggles to maintain discipline defensively, losing position at times and playing a bit softly, and even if he goes for offensive rebounds he has no real chance of getting thus leaving his team a man short on defence half the time, Dwight Powell is a pretty solid player. Better than advertised, and better even than Mavericks fans themselves credit him for being.
As a roll man, transition player and lob threat, the athletic Powell is excellent. He is everywhere, which is a virtue, and he is active and persistent in his intent to get to the rim. He has also finally started to add the floor-stretching jump shot, too; early results from the three-point line are a bit inefficient, but they are trending the right way, and the mid-range percentages are better.
A +22 net rating and 6.6 win shares are really good numbers. It is not simply the case that one can look better on a bad team, especially if said player is someone who needs the ball in space and on the move like Powell in order to do anything offensively. The reality that bizarrely some Mavericks fans do not want to accept is that, these days, Dwight Powell is pretty good.
As for the contract, remember this - Powell is being paid only a fractional amount more than the non-taxpayer MLE pays, and the non-taxpayer MLE is as-near-as-is reflective of the average player salary. Is Dwight Powell an average NBA player? No - he’s better than that. Well, then.
Player Plan: Two years and $19,890,625 remaining, the final year of which is a player option. Considering he is playing to closer value than he was before, the fact that he will probably opt out and want paying next summer, and the fact that the team is short of trade assets as it is, maybe explore the market for Powell this summer, as he may have some value. But he will also better this team if he stays.
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PF/C - 6’11, 240lbs - 26 years old - 4 years of experience
Even if he struggles to maintain discipline defensively, losing position at times and playing a bit softly, and even if he goes for offensive rebounds he has no real chance of getting thus leaving his team a man short on defence half the time, Dwight Powell is a pretty solid player. Better than advertised, and better even than Mavericks fans themselves credit him for being.
As a roll man, transition player and lob threat, the athletic Powell is excellent. He is everywhere, which is a virtue, and he is active and persistent in his intent to get to the rim. He has also finally started to add the floor-stretching jump shot, too; early results from the three-point line are a bit inefficient, but they are trending the right way, and the mid-range percentages are better.
A +22 net rating and 6.6 win shares are really good numbers. It is not simply the case that one can look better on a bad team, especially if said player is someone who needs the ball in space and on the move like Powell in order to do anything offensively. The reality that bizarrely some Mavericks fans do not want to accept is that, these days, Dwight Powell is pretty good.
As for the contract, remember this - Powell is being paid only a fractional amount more than the non-taxpayer MLE pays, and the non-taxpayer MLE is as-near-as-is reflective of the average player salary. Is Dwight Powell an average NBA player? No - he’s better than that. Well, then.
Player Plan: Two years and $19,890,625 remaining, the final year of which is a player option. Considering he is playing to closer value than he was before, the fact that he will probably opt out and want paying next summer, and the fact that the team is short of trade assets as it is, maybe explore the market for Powell this summer, as he may have some value. But he will also better this team if he stays.
