Mavericks veteran unexpectedly turns into Joel Embiid's kryptonite

With the NBA offseason slowing down before Summer League and the Olympics begin, teams are scrambling to round out their 15-man roster. Yesterday, the Dallas Mavericks re-signed Brandon Williams to another two-way contract and locked him down for next season. With the Mavericks lacking in ball handlers, it's no wonder the team used one of their two-way roster spots to secure the young guard.

Alongside Williams, Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper will be a welcomed addition to Dallas' young Summer League roster. According to Summer League head coach Jared Dudley, the team plans to have Prosper as the focal point on the defensive end. With the team's recent additions, Prosper could be in store for an increased role in next season's rotation if he can put it together in Las Vegas.

As countries prepare for the Olympics in early August, The United States tipped off its first of five exhibition games against Team Canada, featuring numerous NBA players. While the United States is headlined by players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, Canada is led by stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.

Dwight Powell shuts down Joel Embiid in exhibition game

Canada also features a slew of NBA role players, such as Mavericks center Dwight Powell.

Unlike Powell's role in Dallas, where he is generally looked at as the Mavericks' third-string center behind Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, Powell is featured in a starting role for Team Canada. With this increased role, Powell will have to guard some of the league's best centers like Embiid, who recently joined Team USA.

While many fans expected Powell to get outmuscled by Embiid, Powell surprisingly held his own on almost every possession the two were matched up on one another. Defensively, Powell has a track record of getting beat around the perimeter or getting outmuscled down low, which is why seeing Embiid struggle to get past the Maverick was surprising to many fans who watched the game.

On many occasions, Powell wouldn't even allow the former MVP to enter the paint. Oftentimes, Embiid would need to settle for a fall-away jumper or a contested look from behind the arc.

Throughout the game, it became clear to fans that Embiid's extended offseason had a large effect on his endurance and how rusty the former MVP looked. While this was just an exhibition game, Embiid managed to foul out early in the third quarter and only recorded 12 minutes in his first game wearing a USA jersey.

Additionally, Powell managed to frustrate the big man and even managed to draw the FIBA equivalent of a flagrant foul after Embiid whacked Powell in the head with an errant elbow. While the result may not have gone Canada's way after an 86-72 loss, the team saw a lot of promise in defending Embiid with Powell starting.

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