College Prospect Spotlight: Sacramento State's Duncan Powell

Notable Accolades 

After transferring from North Carolina A&T to Sacramento State, Powell has emerged as the top option for the Hornets. He is great at letting the offense come to him and not forcing shots. In several games already this season, he's been the most impactful player on the floor but took very minimal shots. 

Powell is a good connector, flashing passing upside and the ability to help facilitate an effective offense. He has the height of a traditional four but can really play all five positions on that end of the floor. 

Powell rates extremely highly with many of Cerebro Sports' advanced metrics, most notably a 10.8 C-RAM and a gold rating. This includes an 88 ATR and 84 PSP which aligns with his ability to score the ball effectively, especially around the rim. Powell's 66 DSI is also impressive as it relates to his ability to impact the defensive side of the ball. 

NBA Upside 

What's most impressive about Powell's start is the level of competition he has gone up against. While the Big Sky Conference is one of the most underrated group of teams in college basketball, the non-conference schedule for Sacramento State has been impressive. In the first few weeks of the season Powell has gone up against Nevada, Stanford and Tulane. All three of these teams have legit size on the interior and play physical, but that was no problem for the 6-foot-8 forward. 

When it comes to production that translates, it's clear Powell can be an effective rebounder at any level. To this point in the season, he's sixth in the country in rebounds per contest. That rebounding upside at the NBA level along with his extremely strong frame should allow him to be a capable forward at the next level. Furthermore, if the handle continues to improve and 3-point shot is real, he could also slide down to the wing when needed.