A New Found Respect For Dwight Powell

[DanSchwartzgan]

So Andre Drummond takes complete advantage of Powell inside. Goes 7 of 8 from the field with 17 rebounds (8 offensive) in just 22 minutes. Dominating.

And yet his team goes -11 in his time on the court. 

So maybe “dominating” ain’t all it’s cracked up to be? Not sure a guy like Drummond could earn any burn on this team. We actually expect our centers to contribute to winning basketball.

You make a good point, but I disagree with one element.  He dominated, but I question how much of it was dominating Powell.  If you watch closely, Powell was constantly forced to help on Dragic or KD after they blew by their defender.  Drummond getting those shots down low is the product of our scheme.  If you go back and watch, the first five Drummond baskets are more on Luka than Powell. 

If Kidd didn't want Powell helping like he does, Powell wouldn't do it.  But, it requires a certain amount of trust that the guys behind him are going to do their job.  To you main point, yes, a lumbering center might do a better job of staying home on Drummond.  But, KD or Dragic would have simply made the layup that would have happened if Powell didn't help off of Drummond.

Another way of looking at it...Nash could have stuck with Drummond's "dominance", but instead chose to play Claxton down the stretch and 26 minutes to Drummond's 22.  Claxton's time was +9 to Drummond's -11.