Diamond Powell! All Things Dwight - Act V Broken Wings

[fifteenth]

So, Powell is polite.  I can get on board with that

In my mind it was more like Luka just being a good teammate and help'n a brother out when he can. :-)

[Kammrath]

Powell shot a preseason TS% of 91% (it may not last). Though he was a .688 TS% last season while recovering from injury.  His Net Rating in the pre-season was 36.  And, his 3% was .667 on 4.7 attempts per 36.

Of course, you have to take some bad with the good.  Powell’s rebounds per 36 ranked 9th on the team.

As long as his net rating is positive I could not care less about his rebounding.

[fifteenth]

As long as his net rating is positive I could not care less about his rebounding.

But then, if a team needed his rebounding to keep from getting killed in the offensive boards, then his net rating might suffer.

On the other hand, he seems to do some good team rebounding things where he may not get the rebound, but his guy doesn't get it either. 

Counter, counter point, bugs that play with Luka may grab fewer rebounds.

[soog]

Regardless of the preseason success that Powell has had, I think he pairs well with KP for the fact that he performs best away from the basket.

The first thing I think of when considering a running mate with KP is KPs need to be around the basket.  You don’t want to clog up the lane so I initially think someone who can space the floor by shooting 3s.  Powell presents another option in that he does the most damage setting screens, cutting to the basket, and crashing the boards - all which start by being away from the basket.  

Powell can help even more at times by initiating the offense with a high screen and rolling to the basket. As a person rolls to the basket and clears out after they roll they draw the attention of the defense who often shifts to them and with them as they run through and back out of the lane.  This clears the way for a second attack on a defense that is now out of position, namely feeding KP in the post.

If he can add a 3pt shot on top of this and provide the muscle that KP lacks, I’m happy.

[Jommybone]

Dwight’s interior defense would improve noticeably just by convincing the refs to quit calling him for the foul when he catches an elbow in the face. His face has committed more fouls than any player I’ve seen play. There’s something about him the Zebras just hate.

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/mavsmarie/status/145...40516?s=20

[SleepingHero]

If Diamond can even hit 34% on 3spg, he's suddenly a bargain. There are guys with that mix of skills making $20M per.

IF he can. That's a big ask honestly. Preseason results look quite promising, but he also couldn't miss from anywhere the entire time. Hard to tell if he was just riding a hot streak or if he's truly improved.

His form does look noticeably more controlled. Tighter is my best description for it. His elbow is tucked in more and he doesn't have as much vertical motion in his shot. 

Like you said if Powell can become even a moderate 3pt shooter hovering around 34-35%, then he suddenly becomes one of the better starting 5's in the league at a bargain salary.

[fifteenth]

I'm gonna call it!! DFS did it!!!

DP will hit 38% from 3, on 2.5 3pt shots per game

[Kammrath]

DP will hit 38% from 3, on 2.5 3pt shots per game

If this happens he immediately becomes one of the best bigs in the game.

[fifteenth]

If this happens he immediately becomes one of the best bigs in the game.

Be prepared!

[LifeAquatic]

https://twitter.com/mavsmarie/status/145...40516?s=20

This reminds me of the championship season when Dirk, Kidd and Tyson were asked by RC who to have at off guard and they said Deshawn Stevenson for his D and toughness.

That turned out pretty well..

[Mavs2021]

[KillerLeft]

Powell is not a bad defender. He just isn't a rim protector, and is miscast in that role. Sometimes he is miscast by the team, but more often he is miscast in the imaginations of fans, in my experience.

Here is an example of what he does well on defense, and what slays me is that every team in the league is looking for guys who can do exactly this. While he's not the best defender of this sort in the sport, he's better than average, imo, and it's a fairly rare skill set. 

https://twitter.com/iztok_franko/status/...46021?s=20

[vfromlmf]

I still think McGee will carve out a roll at some point but Powell continues to prove doubters wrong. His flaws are well noted but he'll never get enough credit for the things he does well. I predict he'll go down as one of the great unsung in Mavs history.

... Don't know what you've got, until it's gone
And it ain't easy to get back
Takes so long ...



Bracing for Powell's free agency and wondering what his next contract will look like.

[cow]

McGee-like contract seems fair.

[KillerLeft]

McGee-like contract seems fair.

You mean for Powell, moving forward, with him eventually being the 3rd big, presumably? I agree.

[mvossman]

Powell is not a bad defender. He just isn't a rim protector, and is miscast in that role. Sometimes he is miscast by the team, but more often he is miscast in the imaginations of fans, in my experience.

Here is an example of what he does well on defense, and what slays me is that every team in the league is looking for guys who can do exactly this. While he's not the best defender of this sort in the sport, he's better than average, imo, and it's a fairly rare skill set. 

https://twitter.com/iztok_franko/status/...46021?s=20

In my mind, he is a power forward on defense, and a center on offense.  That is a player that is generally difficult to fit into roster construction, but we have had the luxury of multiple stretch 5s (Maxi and KP) to pair him with.  I thought we were doomed after the TDL last season with only one legit center (Maxi).  Kidd and Powell did an impressive job maintaining mostly quality defense starting a power forward at center, but it fell apart in the playoffs.

This team needs a legit mobile starting center and I don't think we have that on the roster right now.

[cow]

You mean for Powell, moving forward, with him eventually being the 3rd big, presumably? I agree.

Yeah, I meant for a contract number.  Going to need to find two better centers than him for him to be the 3rd though.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/MavsPR/status/1608875098513244161

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/MavsPR/status/1608875098513244161

He definitely has the best hands of all of those centers!

Powell the GOAT lob catcher.