Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell continues to grow

Dallas Mavericks big man Dwight Powell continues to grow. Here is a look at how far Powell has come during his NBA career.

The Dallas Mavericks have a special player in Dwight Powell. Growth is something that everyone strives for on either a personal or professional level. The growth of Powell over his time in the NBA has been evident.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines growth as “progressive development.” In the corporate world, the only way to see the growth that an individual has is by tracking their progress through various statistics.

Powell’s constant growth

Dwight Powell was traded to the Mavericks on December 18, 2014, in the swap that brought along Rajon Rondo. At the time, he was considered just an added piece in the trade. There were not a lot of people who were familiar with Powell as a player.

Powell played his college ball at Stanford, where even there, he exhibited exceptional personal growth in his career. He went from averaging 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game his freshman year to averaging 14.0 points and 6.9 rebounds during his senior campaign. Powell garnered first-team All Pac-12 honors twice.

He was originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 45th pick in the NBA draft. Two weeks later Powell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and two months later was moved to the Boston Celtics. Not an ideal way for any player to start off his career. Like any player, Powell more than likely just wanted to find a place to settle down and play ball.

Powell’s time in Dallas

During his first year with the Dallas Mavericks, Powell spent a lot of time with the Texas Legends. My father and I would often frequent these games, and I distinctly remember thinking to myself that if Dwight could add some muscle that he could be a solid player in the NBA. He had a tall, lanky build, and needed to bulk up a bit to get consistent minutes.

We watched as he continued to exhibit growth that season for the Legends. However, the fans were not the only ones watching. He was starting to show the signs that were needed to get the call up to the main roster.

In 2014, Powell played 24 games with the Mavericks, where he averaged 3.4 points per game and just two rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game. Not stellar numbers by any means, but Dwight would show that he was not content with that production.

Every summer Powell would continue to grow by adding different elements to his game. He constantly to put in work at the gym, and his efforts were visible. He has added about 13 pounds of muscle since his Stanford days. He has also continued to improve on things such as outside shooting, in an attempt to make him a vital asset to this team moving forward.

Management decided to keep Powell at the trade deadline for a reason. It is because of his growth in the organization, both professional and personal. This season Dwight is averaging 8.9 points per game and almost five rebounds off of the bench. A consistent role player for an injury and trade depleted Dallas Mavericks team.

Keep up the good work. We are all watching in anticipation of further growth.