Perennially overlooked Norman Powell has saved the Raptors season
By David Rouben
The Toronto Raptors have seized control of their playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, in large part due to Norman Powell.
His insertion into the starting lineup for Games 4 and 5 has seen the Raptors field a small-ball unit right out of the gate. And while he isn’t solely responsible for the team’s resurgence, this adjustment fixes several of their problems. Powell gives the starting five the speed that Jonas Valanciunas lacks, and an additional shooter to space the floor and help take pressure off of Lowry and DeRozan. We saw how effective he was on both ends of the court in Game 5. Not only did he lead his team with 25 points, he limited Khris Middleton to eight points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Prior to this adjustment, the two biggest issues with the Raptors’ starting unit in the playoffs was their defense, and the over-reliance on iso ball. But once Valanciunas got swapped out for Powell, their net rating increased by roughly 40 points, according to NBA.com. The assist percentage also jumped from 59.1 to 72. It’s a small sample size, to be fair, but those two units have played close to the same amount of minutes together with drastically different results.
It’s a wonder why it took Casey this long to make the adjustment. But being overlooked is something that Powell is used to in his career. Ever since college, he’s had to change roles multiple times, from being a bench piece to a starter, then shifting from a ton of minutes to a lower-usage role. It took the Raptors struggling out of the gate for Powell to earn significant minutes in the playoffs, but now that he has, they’re on the brink of advancing to the second round.
You can tell he’s excited about the opportunity. Prior to Game 4, Powell played 20 combined minutes. In the regular season, he only made 18 starts, most of which came on back-to-backs where he would replace DeMarre Carroll. But when he’s given starting minutes, he usually makes the most of them. And for the second year in a row, he has practically saved Dwane Casey’s job.
Think back to the Pacers series last year. They started that out by playing Carroll and Luis Scola at the three and four, respectively, while relegating Norman Powell to a reserve role. Unsurprisingly, Paul George ate their lunch.
But by Game 5, Scola got benched, and Powell saw a major uptick in minutes. Saying that he locked down George that series would be going too far, but he offered an instant energy boost to the bench lineup and contested George’s shots well. As for what he offered on offense, no Raptors fan could ever forget this:
That moon dunk completed a Game 5 comeback which saw momentum swing. Instead of trailing 3-2 and losing the series in Indiana, the Raptors took a 3-2 lead and eventually closed it out in seven. It’s not an exaggeration to say that that dunk changed the course of the Raptors franchise.
But in averaging just 18 minutes on the season, Powell was been overlooked again. In the first half of the year, most of his minutes were going to Terrence Ross. That’s understandable, because Ross was playing like a sixth man of the year candidate early on, and he’s more reliable as a shooter. Then, after the P.J. Tucker acquisition, he became the first wing off the bench. While Tucker’s a tremendous defensive presence, Powell offers a lot more on offense, and playing the two together more often would’ve been beneficial. One of the more efficient units the Raptors have in this series involves a lineup of Lowry, DeRozan, Powell, Tucker, and Valanciunas which has logged an offensive rating of 126.4.
Next: What’s next for Paul George and the Pacers?
Powell’s greatest playoff moments have involved flashy dunks — he added another one to his resume when he baptized Thon Maker — but he offers more than just that. He provides additional shooting and playmaking, he’s a catalyst on defense and he shortens the Raptors’ rotation to the point where they can comfortably roll out nine players.
And as long as he’s playing in this series, the Bucks will continue paying for the sins of Greivis Vasquez.