Myles Powell offers potential as a training camp invite for the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks have reportedly signed Myles Powell on a training camp invite, per Adam Zagoria. Powell, a 6’2″ combo guard out of Seton Hall, has spent the last four years playing for the Pirates and improving his game in the hopes of getting a shot at the next level.
It came to many people’s surprise, both NBA executives and fans alike, when the end of the draft had come and gone while Powell’s name remained uncalled. Regardless of that, his NBA journey is only just beginning after being signed by New York in the early hours of the morning after the draft.
It’d be a lie to say that this signing comes as a surprise, seeing as though Powell is represented by CAA, the agency that Knicks president Leon Rose was once the head of and still has many connections to. On top of this, Powell also stated in a pre-draft interview with the Charlotte Hornets that he has been working out with fellow CAA client and Knicks first-round draft pick, Obi Toppin, in the time leading up to the draft.
"“I’ve been lucky to team up with a guy named Obi Toppin,” Powell said. “Obi won player of the year this year, and I feel like not a lot of people know how really versatile Obi is.”"
What should Knicks fans expect from Powell?
Well, all signs point to him being a relentlessly hard worker. Upon arriving at Seton Hall as a freshman, Myles weighed 240 pounds but cut down to 195 within five months. For comparison to see how crazy that transformation truly is, former Knick Kristaps Porzingis is listed at 240 pounds and is over a foot taller than Powell at 7’3″.
But the transformations don’t stop with Powell’s body, as his game has also evolved over his collegiate career, steadily improving on different aspects of it every year.
He was the recipient of the 2019-2020 Big East Player of the Year award, along with a plethora of other honors such as the Jerry West award (given to the nation’s top shooting guard) and was a consensus All-America First Team selection.
What is considered to be Powell’s biggest strength, and what seems to be one of his favorite things to do based on watching him play, is shooting off the dribble. It’s like he’s never met a shot he doesn’t like, and while this is a great quality to have in a player, it could also be an issue sometimes.
The offense at Seton Hall essentially ran completely through Powell, giving him free rein to do whatever he wanted if it meant getting a bucket. His shot selection will have to be tweaked, even if it’s only slightly, to adjust to the next level.
Powell’s shooting percentages took a hit this past season, dropping from 44.7 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three in his junior year, to 39.8 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from three in his senior year.
However, I don’t feel the dip in these percentages is a true reflection of his capabilities as a shot-maker. The decrease could more than likely be attributed to him taking an increased work-load on offense rather than a regression in talent, as his free-throw percentage, a good indicator for shooting feel, more or less hovered around the same area (79-84%) for all four years of college.
Regardless of the stats, Powell’s confidence in himself has only grown, which will play a big factor in allowing him to find a way to make it into the league, and more specifically in New York. Fans gravitate towards the boisterous personalities who know what it takes to play on the big stage, which is something that Myles has never shied away from.
While it’s likely that Powell will end up in Westchester to start the season playing for the Knicks’ G-League affiliate, that shouldn’t be considered a bad thing. Giving him more of an opportunity to fine-tune his game and get consistent minutes is perfect for his development.