Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know new two-way player Myles Powell

What does Myles Powell bring to the Milwaukee Bucks?

There’s very little illusion as to what Powell brings to the court and now to the Bucks.

As he has shown throughout his time and various stops in his journey, Powell is a remarkably prolific scorer and capable of filling it up in all sorts of ways. The former Pirate’s proclivity to fill it up in bunches was certainly displayed over his time with the Westchester Knicks down in the G League bubble as he averaged 17.8 points while shooting .448/.446/.818 from all three levels of the floor in his 13 G league appearances.

While Powell’s tough shotmaking is mostly seen when on the ball as he uses all sorts of hesitation moves to dislodge defenders, he is equally capable of running off screens to rise up and fire away off the ball. And Powell’s range is nothing to sneeze at as he was an astounding 33-for-71 on shots taken from 25 to 29 feet with Westchester, good for 46.5 percent.

The shooting spark that Powell brings anytime he steps foot on the court certainly gives off a plug-and-play role that he could have in spot minutes while in the NBA. But that’s not all that makes Powell such an accomplished scorer.

Even undersized at 6’2″, Powell is incredibly fearless as a penetrator and finisher around the basket and he converted 61.1 percent of his 54 attempts within the restricted area down in the G League. While exclusively a below the rim finisher, Powell possesses an array of craftiness at or around the basket and can take on plenty of contact along the way. To that point, Powell had a career 30.8 free throw attempt rate during his time in college.

Powell’s scoring certainly speaks for itself, but it will be the other areas of his game that will determine how well his time in Milwaukee and NBA career goes in general.

Holding such a score-first mentality certainly takes up the allure of his entire offensive repertoire, but Powell’s ability to run an offense and leverage the attention that comes his way into plays for teammates is a solid trait he possesses. Honing his precision and decision making, though, will be critical at the next level as Powell had a 1.08 career assist-to-turnover ratio at Seton Hall.

It’s on the defensive end where much of the intrigue and concerns surround Powell and how he will fare in the NBA. While much of that has been informed by the gargantuan role he assumed for Seton Hall, Powell’s active hands and physical tools (6’7″ wingspan) are positive qualities in his favor. It’s more a matter of sharpening his footwork to stay in front of defenders that Powell has to greatly improve on, especially with the jump in skill and athleticism that we see on a nightly basis in the NBA.

Above all else, Powell’s selflessness and competitiveness are indisputable, especially as he’s had to claw his way into the NBA after going undrafted. As Powell told Steve Popper of Newsday last December, there’s no task too small that he isn’t willing to do for the betterment of his career and  overall game:

"“The goal is to always get a roster spot. But I came in telling the organization, whatever they needed me to do, I was willing to do. If that’s staying in the G League a little bit, if that’s what they think is best for my career, then that’s what I’m going to do. I’m a kid that listens and I get better. I come in every day with the same mindset that today I’m going to get better than I was yesterday.”"

Whether Powell will eventually earn any kind of look for the rest of this season with the Bucks remains to be seen, but he certainly has put in the work to get to this point in his basketball journey.