Toronto Raptors: When Will Norman Powell Get More Consistent Run?

Norman Powell of the Toronto Raptors, in my opinion, is the prototypical role player most teams are looking to find. He doesn’t demand playing time, he doesn’t demand the rock, but when he gets it, he gets the job done.

Last season, Norman Powell took Toronto by storm. Stormin’ Norman was quickly one of the best surprises for the Toronto Raptors as the playoffs approached. He has excellent defense, can score efficiently and despite being just 23 years of age, Powell approaches the game like a seasoned veteran.

On April 8th against the Indiana Pacers, he scored a career high 27 points, 14 of which came from the free throw line. He also added six rebounds and four assists, carrying the Raptors to victory. He then followed that performance with a new career high in scoring with 30 points just 5 days later to close the season against the Brooklyn Nets.

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Those incredible performances came following other multiple double-digit scoring performances that first began March 15th, but his minutes diminished once the playoffs came around. In fact, Norm had 12 double-digit scoring performances from March 15th to April 13th. He did get some quality playing time against the Pacers but after the first round, he surpassed 10 minutes just thrice and surpassed 20 minutes just once.

Coming into this season, one would’ve expected more usage out of the Raptors shooting guard but not too much changed early on. He started the season with just four minutes of run time over three games, however, he’s seen over 10 minutes of action in each of the last six games since and has surpassed the 20 minute mark in two of his last three games. The extra action first came due to an injury to Terrence Ross and Norman didn’t disappoint. Most recently, Powell put up 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal over 29 minutes, while shooting eight-for-eight at the free throw line.

Number 24’s per minute production is solid, considering he averages 5.9 points, 2.1 boards, 1.8 free throws made on just 13.1 minutes per game, while shooting 46.9 percent from the field. If he played a consistent 30 minutes per game, theoretically those averages would more than double. His player efficiency rating is 18.5 which is above the leagues average of 15.

Norman’s offensive efficiencies aside, the best part about Powell is his defensive capabilities which has received high praise. He can defend with the best of them, something Ross has been often criticized for lacking, which relieves some of those duties from players like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. This results in the Raptors main offensive stars being able to conserve some energy and put a bit more focus on offense.

Norman Powell in my opinion is the prototypical role player most teams are looking to find. He doesn’t demand playing time, he doesn’t demand the rock, but when he gets it, he gets the job done. He’s the type of role player where if he’s given a more prominent role, he’d likely succeed, which he has already proven several times in his short career.

He’s also the type of role player that you could even consider transforming into a franchise player, similar to Kawhi Leonard or Mike Conley. While the latter is highly unlikely and players like Leonard are an anomaly, the sky is the limit for Stormin’ Norman. He’s just that good and I hope to see him emerge as a regular starter with over 30 minutes of run time as the season matures.

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Let us know in the comments below what you think of Norman Powell. Do you think he should be the starting shooting guard for the Raptors?

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