Dallas Mavericks: If Dwight Powell can rebound, he can start

The Dallas Mavericks got some news (good in some eyes, bad in others) last week that Dwight Powell is actually planning on staying with the team and signing an extension. This could be great if he can fix one area of his game.

Dwight Powell has been a hot topic among Dallas Mavericks fans this summer. An initial report of him deciding to opt out of his final season with the Mavs elicited many different responses from “Why?” to “This is great news” to “This is terrible news”. Then the news that he was actually opting in to his contract and pretty much the same reactions took place.

Personally, I am very excited to see Powell coming back to the Mavs for a few more years. He has really stepped his game up over the past few years and has become one of the most reliable rim runners in the league. I would be willing to say he is one of the best finishing big men in the league.

His offensive game should pair really nicely with Kristaps Porzingis and his energy level and quickness can help keep him on the court. The one big downfall to Powell’s game: he is not a very good rebounder.

Dallas is really going to need help on the boards. If Powell is the planned starting center, he will either need to really bulk up some and up his rebounds per game average, or the Mavs will have to settle with paying extra for a solid backup center.

There aren’t a lot of centers in the league that can do what Powell does above the rim but are also quick and grab a lot of rebounds. It is a specific skill set that is limited to a handful of guys, most of them unavailable this summer.

So with that unavailability, what is the best plan of action for the Mavericks?

I would say that the most hopeful plan of action would be that Powell can continue to grow as a rebounder in the NBA. At one point in his career, Powell was considered a really poor finisher at the rim. He had trouble catching the ball and then getting it through the basket in the same motion. Through a ton of work on his end, he has now become one of the most sure-handed bigs in the league.

If he can apply that same level of effort to his rebounding this summer, there is a chance he can improve by at least a couple boards per game. If that is within the realm of possibility, it could warrant a spot in the starting lineup for the big man.

The Mavs are in a strange predicament with the center position this year, trying to determine how to play Kristaps, how to improve rebounding and how to defend the opposing players to the best of their abilities. No matter what happens, Powell will be a key player for the Mavs in the coming years. His work this summer could determine his role.