Jacob’s template for scouting report attachment.
Restricted free agent Dwight Powell has agreed to a four-year, $37 million-plus deal with the Dallas Mavericks, league sources told The Vertical.
The fourth season of the contract has a player option, sources said.
Powell – a versatile, 6-foot-11 forward/center – became a successful part of the Mavericks’ development structure a season ago. He was acquired by the Mavericks as part of theRajon Rondo trade in 2014 and swiftly appeared to be the franchise’s best asset acquired in the deal, showing his size, skill set and activity.
The Mavericks prioritized the re-signing of Powell in free agency and finalized the agreement on Sunday night. Powell received interest from several teams, including the Brooklyn Nets, sources said. For the Mavericks, Powell will be an important part of their frontcourt moving forward.
In 69 games last season, Powell averaged 5.8 points and four rebounds in 14.4 minutes a night.
Powell was the No. 45 pick in the 2014 NBA draft after playing four seasons at Stanford. He signed a multiyear deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers that summer, but was traded to the Boston Celtics before being moved to Dallas.
DraftExpress Skinny:
By signing Dwight Powell to a four-year deal, the Mavericks retained a versatile and athletic big man who will serve primarily as a spark-plug reserve in the short term, backing up Andrew Bogut and Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas’ front court rotation. Meanwhile, Rick Carlisle hopes to continue to develop Powell into a consistent finisher and shooter, as the 24-year-old shows tremendous promise.
At 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, Powell is a load on the boards and moves fluidly for a big man of his size. He plays primarily above the rim on the offensive end, where his screening and explosive leaping abilities serve as ideal compliments for Carlisle’s perimeter-oriented offense:
Per Synergy Sports Technology, nearly 50% of Powell’s offensive possessions came on plays in which he was either the screener in a pick-and-roll or the finisher of a lob pass.
Powell loves to camp out near the baseline on the weak-side on offense and reappear in time for alley-oops. In just a season and a half in Dallas, Powell has developed nicely into the “diver” for Rick Carlisle’s system, much like Brendan Wright was for several seasons. Powell’s 1.43 points-per-possession on cuts/dives ranks in the 83rd percentile for all NBA players, per Synergy Sports.
While he showed and succeeded with a steady diet of post-ups in his four seasons at Stanford (averaging 80 post-ups per season), he’s been mysteriously reluctant to turn his back to the basket in the NBA. Last season, Powell attempted just two post-ups all year, according to Synergy.
He’s a smart player and knows how to use his body. He got to the line 5.9 times per 40 minutes (pace adjusted) last season and should continue to see progress at the line — where he already shoots 72.5%. Toward the end of last season, Powell started to show some versatility with the ball in his hands:
If he continues to develop his dribble, we’ll be talking about a much more dynamic player by the end of this contract.
Much of Powell’s future success in the NBA will be determined by his progress as a shooter. Powell ranked in just the 8th percentile among NBA players, shooting 36-for-121 (29.8%) on jump shots in the half court last year — including just 29-for-104 (27%) from outside of 17-feet. His touch comes and goes. His shot is high arcing, which is fairly unusual for a big man, and he tends to miss long rather than short.
(Chart courtesy of NBASavant.com)
Defensively, Powell has length and quick recovery instincts that project well for his future. He’s extremely long and he’s strengthened his core, which allows him to hunch into a low defensive stance on the perimeter.
Overall, this was a smart move by the Mavericks. Without many young players on the roster, keeping an athletic and promising big man like Powell in Dallas on a reasonable four-year deal seems like a no-brainer.
Jacob Eisenberg 