GAME 34: BRK (16-17) @ DAL (22-12) | 123-111 win

[ClutchDirk]

  It means he's playing with bad lineups.

KP and Powell have almost the same amount of minutes played this season.  It is true that Powell gets more minutes with the other starters.  KP/Luka/DFS/THJ + Powell generates a net rating of 10.9 compared to 4.8 when Maxi plays with those four.  The question is whether those guys inflate Powell's numbers or the other way around.  

Almost 60% of Maxi's minutes come with Luka.  He's +6.8 with Luka, but Powell is +11.8 and gets 65% of his minutes with Luka.  Luka's best two man lineups come with THJ and Powell.

Maxi gets 45% of his minutes with KP.  He's +4.2 with KP, but Powell is +11.6.  Powell gets 63% of his minutes with KP, but that isn't an advantage as KP is a net minus of 4.2 points when he's on the floor.  So, that doesn't help the "Maxi plays with bad lineups" argument.  KP's best pairings are with Brunson and Powell.  I'm starting to sense a pattern here. 

Maxi is 5.3 with THJ, but Powell is 13.4.  THJ's best two man pairings are Luka and Powell.  The best two main pairing with DFS?  Powell.

We had similar assertions to the "Powell is a system player" last year with the "Death Lineup".  "Barea makes Powell good".  "He can't do the same without Barea".  Then Barea got hurt and Powell and the Death Lineup continued to do just fine.  In his time in Dallas Powell has averaged an O-Rating of 126 and a D-Rating of 107.  No one else comes close to that kind of spread.  At some point people will start to wonder whether (fill in the blank) is making the Powell lineups look good or if it is actually Powell who is responsible for his own numbers.

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