Powell patiently waiting for his shot
Raptors guard makes most of his opportunities but remains stuck behind established stars
On every good team in the NBA, there is a guy just like Norman Powell.
A guy who rises to the occasion every time he gets an opportunity, only to go missing in action for a handful of games before his services are needed again.
On the surface, it doesn’t appear fair, but looking for fairness in professional sports rarely ends up in satisfaction.
In the world of pro sports, nobody is owed anything. You earn what you get, often times based on how high you are picked in the draft and how much your team has invested in you.
Look strictly at the numbers and Powell deserves to be playing a more consistent role. But because of the players ahead of him on the depth chart and their experience — not to mention Powell’s second-round draft pick status — the opportunities just aren’t there.
It’s only his second year, but already it feels at times like Powell is getting the short end of the stick
On Friday in Boston, with DeMarre Carroll sitting out the second game of a back-to-back, Powell was once again called upon. All he did was deliver. He had 20 points on a super-efficient 10 shots, seven of which he made, three of which came from behind the arc. He also had three rebounds, two assists, five steals and did not turn the ball over.
That all happened in 35 minutes. In the previous three games combined, he only had 19 minutes, almost all of them in garbage time.
A week ago, he played 32 minutes in a win over the Lakers, again with Carroll sitting out. In that game, he had 16 points in another efficient 7-for-14 shooting night while chipping in with seven rebounds, two assists and not a single turnover.
Powell has started five games this year and in those games is 26-for50 from the field, a cumulative plus27, while committing a total of four turnovers.
Being too loose with the ball was the Raptors’ one major complaint from Powell’s rookie season. He worked on his handle and has cleaned that up nicely.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey knows the numbers. He also knows the scenario.
Ahead of Powell on the depth chart are Carroll and Terrence Ross at small forward and DeMar DeRozan at shooting guard. Minutes behind that trio are tough to come by.
Casey was asked if he often finds himself trying to find minutes for Powell given how productive he has been.
“Always,” Casey said without hesitation. “I wish we could find more minutes for him. He is in a situation right now behind a very good player in DeMarre (Carroll), whose circumstances he can’t control and we can’t control. He has done a great job of being professional and being ready, coming and playing and shooting 40-plus per cent from three. He had five steals the other night, deflections, everything we ask him to do.”
Powell has done everything he can to earn more minutes, but is a victim of circumstances.
On a less successful team, Powell would almost certainly be playing more consistent minutes.
But on a team among the top five in the league, he is stuck behind others providing depth and injury insurance.
Casey knows it has to frustrate the young UCLA product, but Powell is certainly not the only player Casey has had over his 21 years of coaching facing similar circumstances.
“Here, it’s a case of Masai (Ujiri) and Jeff (Weltman) doing a good job of putting the roster pieces together,” Casey said of the management team. “Remember, we had John Salmons a few years ago, Greivis Vasquez, different pieces like that who can step in. That’s what you want in your program. Where your roster is equal like that and you have competition at every position. I know in Dallas, when we won a championship, we were that way and also in Seattle.”
Eventually Powell’s time will come. Either someone here will move on and he will get a spot in the starting five or he will have the opportunity to establish himself elsewhere.
Either way, the production he is providing now in a support role is going to pay off with a role where he’s not waiting on someone else’s misfortune or injury.