12-03-2020, 11:01 AM
John Wall does look really good. This goes back to the idea that guys with excess athleticism - in this case I believe Wall had like a 43 in vertical which is insane - can lose a big chunk and still be above average athletically in the NBA. KD has also looked good in the small videos I have seen.
So for Powell who had an excellent 35 in vertical and was very athletic/quick twitch in general, maybe he can lose 5-10% of that and still be a very effective NBA player.
We have a pretty negative view around here due to Matthews and JJB. Matthews had good NBA athleticism in his prime but was not a first round talent in large part due to his lack of above avg athleticisim and modest offensive skillset. He did have a good first step in his hay day but he wasn't a stand-out athletic player. Post-injury he still looks a step or two slow. Watching him run looks like an average 30 yr old gym rat you run into at the rec center, nothing special at all. His defense is extremely overrated and Luka absolutely kills him.
JJB did have a very good vertical (I don't recall what it was) and was athletic/quick but was 35 I think when he was injured which clearly took most of his athleticism away, similar to Matthews. Coming back he had his moments but does not have any lift (like Matthews) and looks a step slow. He is so smart he can play the position still but we'd all rather see him retire at this point.
So back to Powell - he has a huge advantage being so athletic to begin with, similar to Wall, KD and Gay back when he got hurt. I think he will be able to do enough of what he needs to do to still be very effective, especially when he comes off the bench.
So for Powell who had an excellent 35 in vertical and was very athletic/quick twitch in general, maybe he can lose 5-10% of that and still be a very effective NBA player.
We have a pretty negative view around here due to Matthews and JJB. Matthews had good NBA athleticism in his prime but was not a first round talent in large part due to his lack of above avg athleticisim and modest offensive skillset. He did have a good first step in his hay day but he wasn't a stand-out athletic player. Post-injury he still looks a step or two slow. Watching him run looks like an average 30 yr old gym rat you run into at the rec center, nothing special at all. His defense is extremely overrated and Luka absolutely kills him.
JJB did have a very good vertical (I don't recall what it was) and was athletic/quick but was 35 I think when he was injured which clearly took most of his athleticism away, similar to Matthews. Coming back he had his moments but does not have any lift (like Matthews) and looks a step slow. He is so smart he can play the position still but we'd all rather see him retire at this point.
So back to Powell - he has a huge advantage being so athletic to begin with, similar to Wall, KD and Gay back when he got hurt. I think he will be able to do enough of what he needs to do to still be very effective, especially when he comes off the bench.