The Cleveland Cavaliers have moved closer to the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, reaching an agreement with former Miami Heat guard Justin Powell.
Powell went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft after three seasons of playing college basketball for three different programs.
He played his first season with Auburn University, his second season with the University of Tennessee and his third season with Washington State University.
Powell’s worst college basketball season came when he was a sophomore playing for Tennessee.
His role was fairly small and he only averaged 3.
7 points, 1.
5 rebounds and 0.
7 assists per game in 30 games played with the Volunteers during the 2021-22 season ( one departure).
Conversely, the guard’s best college basketball season arguably came during his final season at the collegiate level, when he was a member of Washington State.
He averaged 10.
4 points, 3.
9 rebounds, 2.
8 assists and 0.
7 steals per game in 34 appearances with the Cougars during the 2022-23 season (all starts).
head).
Powell also established himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country as a junior.
He made 42.
6% of his 3-point shots on 5.
4 attempts per game, a very impressive combination of accuracy and volume.
However, the guard’s contributions on the offensive end of the court did not result in many victories for the Cougars.
They finished the season with a mediocre 17-17 record and missed the NCAA tournament.
A lackluster offense was one of the main reasons the Cougars failed to advance to the NCAA tournament.
They only scored 68.
4 points per game, ranking 270/363 teams.
Powell played for the Heat in Summer League this year, appearing in three games and playing a small role.
Now he will have a chance to prove his worth to the Cavs.
Powell could only play non-essential minutes with the Cavaliers in the 2023-24 season if the team decides to keep him.
After all, he was an untrained rookie.
However, he plans to make the most of this opportunity.