This 2024-2025 NBA Season has been solid for the Los Angeles Clippers as they are exceeding expectations with Norman Powell establishing himself as a key player.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been among the most competitive teams in a wild Western Conference. They were expected to underperform due to Kawhi Leonard’s slow recovery from a knee injury and Paul George leaving for free agency. A big reason why the Clippers are keeping their heads above water is the emergence of guard Norman Powell.
Powell has been one of the league’s best players and a reliable player for the Clippers, but this season, he has turned to another level.
The Clippers have a track record of impressive stars coming off the bench. The team has had three different players win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award five times since 2014. Norman Powell was attempting to win his first-ever last season but missed out as a finalist.
He has been efficient in his ability to be a consistent scorer in the league. In 76 games played last season, Powell averaged 13.5 points per game shooting a field-goal percentage of 48.6% and 43.5% from the three-point arc. The season before, he averaged 17 points shooting a field-goal percentage of 47.9%.
Powell keeps getting better at 31-years old and is always stepping up for the team. This is due to his determination to make key and proficient shots.
Powell talked about his determination as a shooter and his dream to emulate Kobe Bryant, speaking to Basketball Insiders.
He explained: “I tell all the time when people talk about the vision for myself: my high school friend — who’s one of my best friends still to this day — we had a conversation during lunch and he asked me, ‘Do I really see myself playing in the NBA?’
“I told him, ‘Yes.’ He told me that he can see me making it and being on the end of somebody’s bench making a lot of money.
“I turned and looked at him and told him, ‘I’m not going to be at the end of nobody’s bench. I’m going to be in the league getting buckets like Kobe.’”
Powell and star James Harden are the two players averaging over 22 points a game for the Clippers this season. Harden has emerged as a vocal leader. Powell, on of the other hand, has shown he is able to transcend his role from star off the bench to star for a competitive Clippers team.
In 22 starts this season, Powell is averaging a team-high 23.9 points per game shooting a field-goal percentage of 49.5% and a three-point shooting of 47.2%. He also averages 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Powell is having a career year and is leading the Clippers to a competitive position in the Western Conference because of his offensive tenacity and efficiency. He knows that without George on the team and Leonard still trying to get back on the court he must take more shots. Powell, however, is smart about the shots he takes.
He may see his shooting numbers slightly diminish when Leonard returns. Powell and Harden being the explosive driving force on the team means that they don’t have to overexert Leonard much in the regular season, leaving him healthy for the postseason. But even when Leonard returns on the court, Powell will be just as important as he is right now.
Related Posts
