Player Preview: Leon Powe

C’s assistant Clifford Ray (right) helps Leon Powe (left) during the 2006 NBA Summer League. (Photo Courtesy of NBA.com)

Many of you may remember Celtics forward Leon Powe as the guy who played a lot down the stretch as the C’s coasted to the second-worst record in the NBA (24-58). Powe played sparingly from November to February, but his minutes and games played started to pick up in March and especially April, and the C’s went 9-16 (2-8 in April) to clinch the second-best chance at landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the NBA Draft. Whether it was because of karma for tanking, or just the bad luck the C’s have had since Len Bias’s death in 1986, the Celtics landed the fifth pick in the draft, and you all know what happened after that.

Either way, Powe had a surprisingly productive rookie season, even though he was forced into action due to injuries to key players (Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, etc). April was his best month by far as a Celtic, averaging 21.2 minutes, 9.0 points, and 5.9 rebounds per game. Those numbers are kind of inflated, as Powe played primarily in garbage time. It should be noted that in the C’s two wins in April, Powe played his least amount of minutes (11 and 12 respectively), averaging 6 points and 1 board in those two games.

For all intents and purposes, Powe had a solid rookie season with the Celtics. He was drafted 49th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2006, then was shipped to the Celtics for a future second round selection. Powe impressed in the 2006 NBA Summer League and signed a 3-year deal with the team. He was apart of the California Golden Bears for 3 years and 2 seasons, missing his entire sophomore season with a serious knee injury. Many were concerned with how Powe would respond after the major injury, and he answered the call by averaging a double-double with 20.5 points and 10.1 rebounds, leading the PAC-10 in both categories (he was just the sixth player to do so).

Powe’s role on the 2007-2008 edition of the Celtics remains uncertain, as GM Danny Ainge is still piecing together the bench. The 6′8″ 240-pound forward may see possible playing time reduced with signings of Ruben Patterson, James Posey, or any other free agent forward. Look for Powe to fit in somewhere on the bottom of the C’s depth chart at forward and possibly center.

Projected stats for Leon Powe for the 2007-2008 season:

Player	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG
Leon Powe	10	3.5	2.0	.67	.5

(Key: MIN = minutes per game, PPG = points per game, RPG = rebounds per game, APG = assists per game, BPG = blocks per game)

Tags: Celtics, Clifford Ray, Leon Powe

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