NBA Week 24 Rewind: Who has momentum for the playoffs?

Weekly Rookie Watch

Norman Powell has earned himself a starting spot with the Raptors and he’s making the minutes count, providing far more energy and impact that many expected he would after being selected with the 46th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. With athleticism and the kind of constant effort and intensity that you want from any player, head coach Dwane Casey must be pleased with how the rookie is coming along.

Powell has been a regular feature in the starting lineup since March 4, and while he’s only averaged 24.3 minutes a night, he’s been making them count. 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.6 steals per game aren’t numbers that should define his play, with his energy sparking his impact instead. He excels in transition and has racked up plenty of coast-to-coast baskets and dunks so far, showing how well he can finish through contact and draw fouls.

This was on display better than ever on April 8 in a 111-98 win over the Pacers, as Powell dropped career-highs in minutes (41), points (27), free throw attempts (19) and makes (14). Much like his All-Star teammate DeMar DeRozan, Powell plays with explosiveness and looks to get to the basket and charity stripe whenever he can.

Cory Joseph commented on the Raptors’ win against the Pacers after Powell showed up, highlighting that everyone throughout the roster needs to contribute (per Lori Ewing of the Winnipeg Free Press):

"“Getting time for everybody will be huge for us in the playoffs, because you never know what might happen,” Joseph said. “Everybody at some point in the playoffs probably will be used.”"

As Joseph said, everyone beyond the star duo of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry needs to contribute in the playoffs. And more than many fans and maybe even the Raptors themselves expected, Powell is shaping up to be one of those key contributors.

Devin Booker, the NBA’s youngest player, has become the fourth-youngest (19 years and 162 days old) in history to score 1,000 points. To achieve such a feat, Booker fell behind only LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant on the road to 1,000 career points, which places him among some of the most legendary scoring talent you could hope to be mentioned with.

That’s not bad for a rookie who not many thought would take off like this, shining in the Suns’ woeful season as an exciting ray of potential. His ability to create space, footwork, and shooting touch off the dribble is improving all the time. With a 34-point night last week against the Hawks that matched his career-high, he proved that yet again.

For the season, he’s now averaged 13.7 points per game (17.8 per 36 minutes) while shooting 34.8 percent from deep and 42.6 percent overall.

And remember, Booker is this good before he’s even reached his 20th birthday.

Next: Under-the-radar Playoff Threats