The Clippers might have dodged a bullet by letting Paul George walk, especially with Norman Powell's emergence

Entering the 2024-25 season, many were concerned about how the Los Angeles Clippers would fare without All-Star forward Paul George. George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason, ending an ultimately disappointing five-year stint in Los Angeles. To make matters worse, the Clippers found out ahead of the season that they'll be without Kawhi Leonard indefinitely, as the oft-injured star continues to battle a knee injury.  

With just James Harden left standing from the original big three and coming off a humbling first-round exit from last year's playoffs, this seemed like a team trending in the wrong direction. But many of these worries have been quickly put to rest thanks to the emergence of Norman Powell.

Powell has played exceptionally well early in the 2024-25 season, filling in the gaps offensively that Leonard and George had left. He's managed to keep the 2-2 Clippers afloat so far, and seems destined to be a major rotation piece as Los Angeles moves forward.

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Norman Powell might be a steal for the Clippers

So far, Powell is averaging 26.0 points on 51.9 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from downtown — an amazing feat for a player who averaged 13.9 points just a season ago. He has managed to score 20 points or more in all of the Clippers' games so far, including exploding for 37 points against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. and a 30-point performance in a close loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Shot creation was a major question mark in the absence of George and Leonard, and the 10-year veteran is showing that he has the fortitude to get buckets when needed.

Elsewhere, the Clippers have also gotten exceptional play from Harden, who has turned back the clock so far in his second year in Los Angeles. Ivica Zubac has been big time throughout the season, proving once again to be among the best and most underrated rim defenders in the league.

It's not flashy, and it remains to be seen what it'll amount to in the very deep West, but with Powell, Terence Mann and Derrick Jones Jr. surrounding Harden and Zuvac, it seems the Clippers have found ways to remain competitive even without Leonard and George.