POWELL THREAD

[Mavs2019]

He might not be a great defender or good shooter but he's elite at creating buckets for others and is the hardest worker. You need guys like this on every team.

Yes for a certain amount of money.

I don´t even think people diagree about Powell´s skillset. It´s only that people disagree about what it is worth and whether you can win with him in the play-offs. It is so easy to game-plan for, if you actually try. Usually in the last five minutes of a regular season game and during the play-offs.

Things Powell is good at

1.) Setting screens
2.) Moving off the ball/reading plays offensively
3.) Finishing around the rim
4.) Off-court leadership

Things Powell is not good at

1.) Shooting
2.) Passing
3.) Rebounding
4.) Blocking
5.) Stealing
6.) Defense

So basically all the things people most associate with professional basketball.

To me what he does is worth between the minimum and $5M dollars. If you want +$10M for that you better be a decent passer and above average defender, too.

In his last full season 2017/2018 Powell´s minutes and numbers were virtually identical (slightily inferior rebounding/blocking) to those of Alex Len and Jakob Poeltl. Jakob Poeltl is getting paid $8.8M, because he is just 24 years old and the Spurs have nobody else at center. Still makes less money than Powell. Alex Len is getting paid $2.2M. 

This would not matter, if basketball had no salary cap, but it does. That means we are missing out on $6-10M in available salary. Players end up being overpaid. Happens all the time. Usually doesn´t happen with early extensions. The whole point of early extensions is security for the player and to cover against projected higher future costs for the team, not screw yourself over earlier and know it immediately, too.