In the first episode of The *Underrated Role* Player Files we will be discussing how Norman Powell is so 
tough, and it is not getting talked about. Norman Powell is a 6’3 guard/forward that is an elite shooter and scorer and a very good defender.
He started his career in Toronto where honestly he was an average NBA player. It was not until his 5th year where he really stepped onto the scene as an elite player. In the 2019-2020 season something changed in him and he became an absolute DAWG!
He nearly doubled his scoring and brought it from 8.6 to 16 points per game, and averaged 3.7, rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has a career 12.1 points per game on 46% field goal percentage and 38.6% from three.
However, if you take away his mid-first few years, he has averaged 17.7 points per game 47.8% shooting and 40.7% from three over the last 5 years. He only started 133 of the 226 games over the course of those 4 years.That is elite bench scoring.
In Powell’s career he has a 40 point game,16 thirty point games and 99 games with 20 or more. That is insanely impressive from the 46th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. With mostly coming off the bench in his career these are efficient numbers.
He is an elite and efficient shooter. His three point consistency and his touch around the rim makes him a nightmare to guard.
He has 53 games with at least four threes made, 22 games with five or more threes made, and 9 with at least six, he has a career high of 8 in one game, and he shoots an impressive 43.6% from the corner.
He is a fantastic shooter, but around the rim is maybe where he shines the most. Powell is an aggressive driver and a high flier. He is not scared to jump with your favorite player and put someone on a poster.
He is fast with an explosive first step and an elite feel around the rim. He is a career 52.6% shooter from within 10 feet, and 62.9% from within 3.
Powell is not an elite rebounder or playmaker, however he is not bad at either. He has an 11 rebound game and multiple 9 rebound games in his career, and multiple games with 6 assists. Where he does make an impact beside scoring is on the defensive end of the floor.
Powell averages .8 steals per game in his career, and 1 steal per game over his past 4 years. He even had a game with 5 steals a few years back. Steals are a great counting stat but do not prove defense as a whole.
Thankfully there is plenty else to back up his career as an elite defender. He has a career 11.9 in his career and 5 seasons 109 and under with his career best of 105.3.
Let’s just take into account last season which was one of his worst defensive seasons. Held LeBron and Klay Thompson to 1-4 shooting, Jordan Clarkson to 3-8 shooting, and Jamal Murray to 2-5 shooting. I know those are not huge sample sizes, but his defense is so good and he is so versatile, that the most shots anyone took on him was 8.
Powell also is the type of player who always steps up in the postseason. When you need your bench depth and your 6th man to score he always was ready for playoffs. He has been a part of 6 playoff runs and has been in 15 playoff series.
In a series where he got at least 10 minutes per game he averaged 11.2 points per game and 2.6 rebounds on 46.2% from the field and 40.8% from three in 22.9 minutes per game. Now although the counting numbers might not jump off the page, his efficiency is what stands out.
In the playoffs he normally sees a minutes reduction and a role reduction, as do most bench players and anyone who’s not a top three option on the team. This does not phase him however. When his number is called and when the ball comes his way he gets it done at a high rate. Even if it is not as much, he is still making the absolute most of his opportunities.
This is exactly what you ask for from a role player on a good team. To execute at the highest level when they are called upon to make a play. He makes it easier on star players to get it done in playoff games. That is exactly why he was a part of the championship winning Raptors team in 2019.
When Kahwi was traded to the Raptors at the beginning of that season, there were a lot of players traded which meant that 4th year player Norman Powell, who was only averaging 6.5 points for his career at the time, would be put into a bigger role.
This was not his first year of double digit scoring, it was the year before he jumped to double digit scoring, which means it was the year that prepared him for it. He averaged 8.6 points per game on 48.3% from the field and 40% from three. Those were a good upgrade from what he had been producing, but still he was not the player he is now.
This did not matter as he was getting better all season and was at the top of his game that year in the playoffs, most specifically in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the first two rounds he played 15.3 minutes per game and averaged 6.2 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 45.5% shooting, and 41.7% from three.
However in the ECF he stepped up his game and was the X factor in winning the series. In that series his minutes jumped to 22.8 and his play jumped as well. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 45.6% from the field and 41.9 from long range.
In that series he had two huge games that helped the Raptors overcome the Bucks. Coming back to Toronto after being down 0-2 the Raptors had to win both games in order to avoid a 3-0 or a 3-1 deficit. Powell was ready for that moment and helped the raptors tie the series 2-2.
In game 3 he put up 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal on 7-13 shooting and 3-5 from three in a double overtime win in what was the most important game at time. He scored 12 of his points in the second half and was big all night for the Raptors.
Game 4 he put up 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in a game where he made 4 threes in a huge game 4 win. He scored 10 in the first half and 8 in the second, staying consistent all night and being available whenever he was needed.
The Raptors ended up winning the next two and Powell continued to be efficient and they won the series. Even though Powell’s minutes were reduced in the finals as most expected because coaches cut their rotation short in the finals, you can still argue that the Raptors do not win the finals without Powell.
If he does not step up in the ECF then the Raptors probably do not win that series and do not win the finals. He made his championship contributions in the ECF and was still a huge part of the run. Maybe they did not like him as a matchup in the finals, or maybe they just cut the rotation short, either way he contributed to that finals run just as much as any other role player.
Don’t forget this was a Raptors team that had 4 other guards in the playoff rotation Kahwi playing almost the whole game at small forward. So he was fighting for minutes and proving his worth.
Norman Powell is an NBA champion, a one time player of the week and is only 30 years old. He still has a few years of his prime left and many years as a contributing NBA player left, who knows what other accolades and stats he will record…
He is on a team that is a championship contender this year and is playing a big role on the Clippers. He was not a part of the Harden trade which means the Clippers believe in him and think he can contribute, as he has done before, to another championship run.
Norman Powell is the first underrated role player that we inspected their files to really appreciate what he has done in his career even though it does not get enough credit. I think we all should give him a mental round of applause. Now next time you happen to be watching the Clippers and he makes a great play you will appreciate his game.
Orrrr you look up and he turns it over and you laugh to yourself and think,
“Wow that Tru-Yak had no idea what the he was talking about.”
Either way-Thanks for reading!
ONWARD!
TRU-YAK
