Coming on strong to close his second season, 6-foot-11 forward Dwight Powell was a big reason for the Dallas Mavericks’ late surge to reach the playoffs for a 15th time in the last 16 years. Now, Powell enters this summer as a restricted free agent, hoping to continue to grow as a player in Dallas by re-signing with the team. Making two starts during his 69 appearances this season, the 24-year-old Powell averaged 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes a game. He also increased his production during the Mavericks’ first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City, posting 6.0 points and 4.3 boards an outing while appearing in four of the five games. But after showing glimpses of stardom throughout his second season, Powell admittedly will enter a summer of uncertainty with hopes that his hard work leads him to the right opportunity. “I mean, for me, it’s business as usual. I show up to the gym and I work. That’s it,” Powell said while making an appearance at the annual Heroes celebrity baseball game last week. He added: “I have agents that are kind of trying to take care of that stuff for me, and my job is to be ready for whatever opportunity I find myself presented with and be ready to perform at the highest level. For me, it’s business as usual. Just in the gym grinding.” Powell’s hard work certainly paid off while holding his own at the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend, returning to his hometown of Toronto to show he should be mentioned as one of the NBA’s up-and-coming players with 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals for the World team in a 157-154 loss. He also turned heads during the season after seeing the Mavs fall three games below .500 following a 133-111 loss in Sacramento on March 27, leading to his first career start the following night in Denver. - See more at: http://www.mavs.com/dwight-powell-hopes-hard-work-pays-off-free-agency-summer/
