NBA Draft: Re-drafting the 2014 NBA Draft’s first round

2014 NBA Redraft: 21. Dwight Powell, OKC Thunder

Despite starting his career off with the Boston Celtics, Dwight Powell’s time in Beantown wouldn’t last very long. Having played just nine total minutes, he was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in December as part of the Rajon Rondo blockbuster.

He didn’t make an impact immediately, stuck mostly to the bench once again with 9.5 minutes per game in only 24 appearances. Slowly but surely, the former second-round pick came back each season a better player, to the point where it looks as though his true breakout campaign can come at any minute.

In four full season with the Mavericks, Powell has increased his points per game average each year. He’s got great size at 6’11’ and about 240 pounds with a max vertical of 35 inches that’s led to some pretty thunderous jams and posters.

Those physical traits have also made him such an exhausting player to defend, especially around the basket. He doesn’t have a reliable jumper, so he does everything he can to make an impact with his God-given abilities. That includes attacking the glass at both ends and functioning as a pretty good screener and roll man.

Powell is so relentless in everything he does that the 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds he averaged this past season came in just 21.6 minutes a game. The Mavericks have lost some depth up front with the retirement of Dirk Nowitzki and the mid-season trade of DeAndre Jordan. If they were smart, at least some of those minutes would go to a player itching to show the damage he can inflict with more time on the court to do so.