You always need a player like Dwight Powell in your lineup - his non-stop activity is a positive influence on winning basketball. The Dallas Mavericks center reads a play on defense, picks off a pass, then pushes the ball down the floor for a tough, two-handed jam. Powell contributed eight points and three rebounds in 21 minutes against the Orlando Magic on January 30, 2022.

Dwight Powell

Dwight Powell skies for interception, takes ball down court for transition slam

Good things come to those who wait. Dwight Powell had played only seven minutes in the first four games of the 2022-23 Dallas Mavericks season before he was tabbed to start the fifth against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Powell made the most of his opportunity, playing pick-and-roll with Luka Dončić and soaring into the air to catch and slam an underhanded alley-oop flick pass from his superstar teammate. Powell scored 13 points in 18 minutes while also grabbing two rebounds in the October 29, 2022 contest.

Dwight Powell rolls to rim for lob through outstretched arm of defender

Whether the San Antonio Spurs are playing at home or not, Jakob Poeltl sends a familiar message to opponents every night: don’t come into my house. Dropping back in his pick-and-roll coverage to defend the paint, the Spurs big man keeps pace with a talented Portland Trail Blazers scorer, timing up his jump perfectly to send a shot attempt out of bounds. Poeltl, No. 5 in total blocks in 2021-22, put on a shot-rejecting clinic in a 133-96 blowout win on March 23, 2022, dominating to the tune of 16 points, nine rebounds, six blocks and a steal.

Jakob Poeltl

Jakob Poeltl spikes layup into the floor in six-block performance

Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns drives hard along the baseline and finishes the two-handed slam in traffic against the Indiana Pacers on January 22, 2020.

Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges drives baseline, ducks around shot blocker for dunk

Mikal Bridges was perfect — for one quarter, anyway. Less than a month after he was acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant trade, the Brooklyn Nets’ new leading man showed again that he’s more than capable of being the top offensive option on an NBA team. Bridges torched the Charlotte Hornets during a scintillating first quarter, capping off the dazzling frame with a strong drive to his left that he finished with a tough baseline fadeaway. Bridges completed the period having gone 9-for-9 for 19 points and ultimately scored a game-high 33 points to go with eight rebounds in Brooklyn’s 102-86 win on March 5, 2023.

Mikal Bridges beats buzzer with fallaway jumper in 19-point quarter

Running the two man game to perfection! Washington Wizards rookie Deni Avdija sneaks away from his defender, catches the pass from teammate Bradley Beal, and knocks down the wide-open three ball to tie the game early in the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 23, 2020.

Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija drains give-and-go triple in first NBA matchup

That’s just the way he drew it up. Jakob Poeltl gets a reminder that sometimes a little luck goes a long way, and the San Antonio Spurs are thrilled to take advantage of the good fortune. Against the Chicago Bulls, the Spurs center has the ball on the baseline and decides to fire a cross-court pass to a teammate in the other corner… only the laser pass connects with the rim first, taking a fortuitous bounce right back into the hands of Poeltl, who scoops up the ball and throws down a reverse slam before his defender even knows what happened. Poeltl’s 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 13 rebounds and four assists helped the Spurs outlast the Bulls 129-124 on October 28, 2022.

Jakob Poeltl capitalizes on fortuitous bounce with slam on far side of rim

It doesn’t take much to get your opponent out of position. Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell hits his Phoenix Suns defender with a ball fake on the perimeter, then blows by him for an easy dunk before he can recover on January 30, 2021.

Dwight Powell puts defender on the floor with fake before slam

Washington Wizards rookie Deni Avdija loses his defender with a spin move out at the three-point line then attacks the rim with a one-handed slam. The first-year forward put up 13 points in the February 3, 2021 victory.

Deni Avdija spins through the paint for one-hand slam

It took Mikal Bridges all of three games with the Brooklyn Nets to offer a scintillating preview of his offensive star power. No longer a second or third scoring option after the Phoenix Suns traded him in the Kevin Durant blockbuster, Bridges could not be contained by the Miami Heat as he beat Jimmy Butler in a one-on-one isolation matchup with a difficult off-balance runner in the lane. The fifth-year forward extinguished the Heat with a career-best 45 points on 17 of 24 shooting while also posting eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks and four 3-pointers in Brooklyn’s 116-105 win on February 15, 2023. In 27 regular season games with the Nets, Bridges averaged 26.1 points per game — nearly nine points higher than his best Phoenix season.

Mikal Bridges sinks tough bucket in career-high 45-point night

Where would the Golden State Warriors be without Kevon Looney? As one of the more unheralded glue guys of the Warriors’ championship era, the eighth-year forward continued to provide solid production against the LA Clippers when he got the best of Robert Covington on a post up from the elbow. Once Looney got in front of his defender, he finished the possession with a backboard-shaking throwdown. The three-time champion tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of work in his squad’s runaway 115-91 victory on March 2, 2023.

Kevon Looney

Kevon Looney spins into the paint for emphatic two-hand slam

Clinging to a three-point lead with a surging Joel Embiid rumbling toward the basket, the Washington Wizards were in need of a critical defensive stop. Enter Deni Avdija. The third-year forward comes up clutch, timing Embiid’s trajectory perfectly by reaching down low and blocking the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star’s driving layup attempt with 23 seconds remaining. Avdija — who would later sink two free throws to put the game out of reach — contributed seven points, three rebounds and one game-saving block in Washington’s 116-111 victory on December 27, 2022, snapping Philly’s eight-game win streak in the process.

Deni Avdija strips Joel Embiid in the paint to preserve victory over 76ers

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Dwight Powell

Dwight Powell

Jakob Poeltl

Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges

Deni Avdija

Jakob Poeltl

Dwight Powell

Deni Avdija

Mikal Bridges

Kevon Looney

Deni Avdija