The Whiteboard: Norman Powell is making his own timeline

The Los Angeles Clippers weren't hopeless heading into the 2024-25 season. James Harden can still be productive and Kawhi Leonard remains an All-NBA talent. But hopeful sure wasn't the proper adjective to describe this team either, because even with its two stars — one of whom was starting the year without a timetable to return from injury — and a couple high-level role players like Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell, the ceiling of this team seemed capped at fine.

But 32 games into the season, calling Norman Powell a "high-level role player" is more pejorative than praise. Powell is having a star season — at 31 years old, the 10-year NBA veteran has become one of the best scorers in the entire league, and his re-breakout has Clippers fans re-thinking what this team is capable of.

To say Powell has been an elite scorer this year is not hyperbole; he's averaging 24.6 points per game, which is No. 15 in the NBA. He's shooting 8.2 3-pointers a game, which is the 18th-most in the NBA, and making 45.9 percent of them, which is the best among the top 20 players in attempts. He's been a revelation from deep.

Those 3-point numbers make it easy to assume he's a long-range sniper; he is that, but he's also one of the better midrange shooters in the NBA. In fact, 27 percent of his shot attempts come from the midrange and he's shooting 47 percent from that area.

If you're thinking why would he shoot from the midrange if he's shooting the same percentage from 3-point... it's a rational thought. But Powell's ability to score from multiple spots on the floor is what makes him so tough to defend in the first place. He contains multitudes.

Powell didn't come out of nowhere; he's been an awesome player for most of his career, won a championship with the Raptors in 2019 and has been dang good in Los Angeles since the Clippers pried him from the Trail Blazers at the trade deadline in 2022. But that good was hot-shooting sixth man good, not top scoring option and All-Star on a competitive team good — and he's ascended to that second level so far this year.

This kind of "leap" is common among mid-20s NBA players who are elevating their game as they get more comfortable in the NBA. But I struggle to remember any 30-plus year old player in recent memory who improved this significantly a decade into his career, and Powell deserves massive credit for staying the course.

Talk your talk, Norm.

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This team made the right move, whether it meant to or not

Los Angeles didn't kick Paul George to the curb, but Steve Ballmer wasn't at his doorstep with flowers begging him to come back, either. And I don't think the Clippers watched George depart to Philadelphia and thought, well, thankfully we have Norman Powell but... that's kind of been the case. Powell has seamlessly filled the scoring hole George left behind — whether or not that was an intentional move by LA, it's worked wonders.

George's shooting splits in Philadelphia are woeful thus far — but overall, he's been a productive player for an injury-ravaged Sixers team. Still, Powell's breakout campaign has fully eased the pain of losing George in the offseason.

Barreling toward the halfway point of the NBA season, the Clippers are 19-13, perched in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference. I don't want to sound dramatic — but Norman Powell is perhaps the biggest reason for that success. James Harden is still the guy who makes things "go," but without Powell's stunning season, this team would fully lack a high-level bucket-getter.

Powell's explosion on offense has been the most pleasant surprise in the NBA this season, and should he continue playing at this torrid pace, LA's ceiling raises from "fine" to "real problem in the West."

NBA news roundup

• Steph Curry said the Warriors are "very average" after getting stomped by Cleveland on Tuesday. He's right. At 16-16, Golden State is good enough to compete on a nightly basis, but is far away from the dynasty of the 2010s.
• A new face for the Lakers! Dorian Finney-Smith is set to make his LA debut on Tuesday night.
• Oklahoma City and Cleveland are allergic to losing... and they haven't been sneezing. OKC has won 11 straight and now sit at 26-5, while Cleveland has won seven in a row and are 28-4. Uhhhh guys, I don't think this is a fluke anymore.
• Ja Morant is "week-to-week" with a right shoulder injury. Whoever angered the NBA injury gods, please make it stop. Memphis has been through enough!

Boston might not be unbeatable... just hard to beat

Last season, the Boston Celtics looked unbeatable for most of the regular season. And the NBA Playoffs. And the NBA Finals. The C's cruised to an NBA title because they were, quite simply, the best team in the NBA — by a longshot.

That's not the case in 2024-25. Boston won't walk to another NBA title. Not because they're considerably worse (Boston is currently 23-9 with the third-best net rating in the league) but more so because the rest of the league is better equipped to matchup with Boston in the playoffs. Oklahoma City, New York, Cleveland and (put the pitchforks down) even Houston don't feel as far away from competing with the C's as teams did last season.

Maybe I'm overreacting after an average month (Boston has gone 7-6 in December) but I've moved away from stamping Boston as clear title favorites the deeper we get into this season. Again — being maybe the NBA title favorite is still a pretty comfortable position to be in, but watching Boston this year hasn't filled me with as much overwhelming dread as it did last year. Saying they took a step back seems harsh, but I don't think this team will romp its way to another title like many (myself included) thought they would before the season started. This could age really poorly.