Dwight Powell Leading Dallas To Unexpected Hot Start

Dwight Powell played a total of 236 NBA minutes in his rookie year, spending a large amount of time either in the DLeague or shuffling through rosters after he was traded twice since his 2014 Draft Day. Now, following the DeAndre Jordan debacle that left the Dallas Mavericks frontcourt perished and looking for talent, Powell has capitalized on the opportunity provided to him by Mavs HC Rick Carlisle and is playing the best basketball of his young career.

Dwight Powell Has Had A Huge Impact On The Dallas Mavericks Hot Start// via nba.com

Thirteen games into the season and Dwight has been one of the association’s top players coming off the bench. He is averaging 10.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in only 22 minutes a game for the Mavericks, but what stands out most is non-boxscore impact he’s had on the team’s success thus far and his incredible scoring efficiency.

Powell has aided Dallas en-route to their surprising 9-4 start in the NBA’s Western Conference that has them currently seeded third and second in the Southwest Division. Whether it be doing the things that show up in the boxscore or not, Powell is doing them all. He is posting a ridiculous 116 Offensive Rating to go along with a solid 97 Defensive Rating (Net +19 per 100 possessions) which truly exemplifies the significance of his on-court impact.

Scoring the ball at a double-figure per game clip off the bench is always something to be taken seriously, but when a role-player is able to do so with the efficiency that Powell is providing, it is taken in awe. He is shooting a monstrous 54.2% from the field which sits him 11th overall among all NBA players in field goal efficiency and first among players who have not started a game.

The Canadian and Mavericks faithful alike will have their eyes on Powell for the rest of they year after his hot start looks to be leading a Dallas roster much further than expected.