Arkansas forward Marshawn Powell is headed to the NBA Draft, if his tweet is any indication.
The redshirt junior has chosen to forgo his senior season and enter the June draft. Powell averaged 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 48.7-percent from the floor this season for the Razorbacks. He played in the two games in 2011-12 before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the year.
decided that im entering the 2013#NBAdraft thank God for even being in this position
— cannonball (@MarshawnPowell) March 26, 2013
A Newport News, Va. native, the 6-7, 240-pounder is a bit of an undersized big man, which he came to Arkansas as, but has developed an offensive game that has become consistent from 15-feet and in, and has expanded his perimeter game. He set a career high going 27-for-78 from three-point range this season. In two full seasons prior, Powell shot a combined 15-for-65 from deep.
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After a monster freshman season in which Powell averaged 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds, he decided to come back to campus, and endured a sophomore campaign in which he was hampered by a foot injury that brought his production down to 10.8 and 4.5 per game. He finally got healthy prior to this season and it definitely showed, as Powell looked like the prospect that everyone saw as a freshman.
He’s developed nicely. But where does he go in the draft? Does he go at all? He’s not listed on DraftExpress.com latest projections. He’d be a good fit for a team like Utah, that has thrived with a number of undersized big men. He’s averaged over a block per game in two of his three full seasons in Fayetteville.
Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten