Raps need long- range bombers Miles, Powell firing on all cylinders

CJ Miles went 6- for- 12 from behind the arc in the Raptors loss in Oklahoma City, finally looking like himself again.

But Miles cautions he’s still finding his way back.

Norm Powell went just 1- for- 6 from the field and 0- for- 4 from distance in 10 minutes in that game and is still trying to break out of his recent December struggles.

Powell shot 50% from the field and 39% from behind the arc in November. December has been tough though. His success rate from three is just 20.6%. From the field he is shooting just 37.8%.

The Raptors can get by with one of them struggling, but when both are down as they have been for a good portion of December, it allows little to no room for off nights for the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry or Serge Ibaka.

Fortunately for the Raptors, all those guys were on for much of the month. It’s only recently that DeRozan hit a bit of a skid and that’s exactly when you need one or both of the two main scorers off the bench going.

Miles’ issues have been numerous. There was a shoulder issue, the birth of his first child which, while by no means a hardship, is still a big adjustment, and a jaw injury that required surgery and basically had him on a diet of mashed potatoes, milkshakes and baby food for the better part of an entire week.

“The biggest thing for me during that stretch was just getting healthy,” Miles said following shoot around. “I had so much stuff going on, that was what was bothering me the most. And I’m still doing that, last game was a confidence booster for me to be able to come out and feel somewhat decent, I had an actual meal in my body and play.”

For Powell the issue is a combination of opportunity, which he is not getting a lot of these days in terms of minutes, and an inability to excel in those shortened minutes he does get.

Powell though is not hanging his head. His approach to this particular struggle is the same approach he always takes.

“I go hard,” Powell said. “Things ain’t going right the only way you get out of it is by working through it. That’s what I do. I’m a worker. No matter what is going on the court, good or bad, I’m going to work through it until I feel comfortable and get back to where I want to be.”

So Thursday’s off day for the team wasn’t an off day at all for Powell. He got back to his place Thursday morning about 3 a. m. from Oklahoma City, was in bed by 4 a. m. and was at the gym for a conditioning workout by 9: 30 a. m. A full two- hour on- court sessions with Lucas Nogueira who is also trying to work his way back into the rotation followed.

But Powell wasn’t done. He was back in the gym again Thursday night shooting solo with his trainer A. J.

“It’s never just standing in the corner because that’s not realistic for game conditions,” Powell said of these get- better workouts. “You have to simulate game as much as possible. Everything has to be full speed so you get your heart rate up. Make it as live action as you can, just replicate the speed of the game.

“It’s not about reps or muscle memory.” he said. “I’ve shot enough and made enough. It’s just about getting a good feel, getting that good sweat at good speed and have the ball coming off your hand clean as many times as possible at that speed.”

Miles got a confidence boost with his game in OKC. Powell is still looking for one, but if the Raptors are going to contend with the elite teams in the NBA they are going to need both players.