Mavericks' Dwight Powell: Expected to be rotation player in 2016-17
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle recently said that he expects Powell to be a rotation player during the 2016-17 season, ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon reports. "The last two years we've been working toward this period where we could get [Powell] signed to a longer-term deal and integrate him to our everyday rotation," Carlisle said. "He's a combination 'four'/'five.' I see him playing both positions. Time will tell how much at each, but I do believe there are going to be a lot of situations where he'll play both positions in the same game."
Analysis:
Though he appeared in 69 of the Mavs' 82 regular-season games last season, Powell was only a fringe rotation option for the team, averaging just 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. With the Mavs stepping up this summer to re-sign Powell to a four-year, $37 million contract, the third-year big man will now have a chance to see an expanded role as a primary backup to either starting power forward Dirk Nowitzki or starting center Andrew Bogut. Given how injury prone Bogut has been historically, Powell represents a quality insurance option down low for the Mavs, and could produce some sneaky fantasy value during the upcoming season.