The Clippers’ Norman Powell is an NBA All-Star this season, and the numbers back him up

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2024-25 season with a A handful of questionnaires in the eyes of everyone outside the organization. One of the bigger questions is what they were doing by letting an NBA All-Star like Paul George walk instead of meeting his contract requirements when they had no way to replace his production. And then Norman Powell entered the chat.

Powell has been a consistent scorer in his NBA career, but has largely flown under the radar as he’s played on teams with bigger names and bigger contracts. But people mistakenly accept their role for the inability to perform beyond expectations, and this season has shown how much of a mistake it is.

Why the Clippers’ Norman Powell should be this season’s NBA All-Aver

Norman Powell made waves throughout the NBA at media day, but not in the way the skater’s new slogan suggests. In his first press conference, Powell offered his thoughts and reflections after the skaters let George walk in free agency.

“I saw it as an addition by subtraction,” Norman Powell said of the new opportunity. “I think what I’ve said in this media day every year since he’s been here is how I want to be the starting two guard. And the opportunity is in front of me, I’ve prepared myself. I’ve always seen myself as a starter in this league, I think I’m the job put, I feel like the numbers speak for themselves when I start and what the output is.

“I’m excited to take on that role, the pressures that come with it, the good, the bad and the ugly. I feel like I’m mentally ready for it. I’ve always been ready for it. And I’ve put in the work physically. And it’s not a question of that, it’s just able to fully showcase the work I included So I’m excited for complete opportunity and all that comes with it.”

While Powell discussed the team’s capabilities, it’s not the first time he’s been open about his confidence and the high expectations he has for himself. In 2023 at media days availability, Powell knew he wanted to be an NBA All-Star, but refused to put any of his goals above the team’s ultimate goal of winning the NBA championship.

“My individual goals, to be an All-Star. I see myself as that caliber of player. That’s my mindset. But like I’ve said all year, individual goals are great, but I never put that above the main goal of the team, and that’s going to win championship.

“I would sacrifice everything for that championship. That’s what I really want. But individually, I want to be an all-star. I see myself as that. I’m not going to change that mentality or approach.”

Powell might be the best example of a guy who seized his opportunity and ran with it. That’s why he’s a candidate for this season’s festive spot, and the more you look at his influence, the better his case for the February showcase.

On the season, Norman Powell has a career average of 23.7 points, 3.4 assists, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.5 made three-pointers per game for the marbles while shooting 49% from the field, 43.3 percent from three and 83.4. percentage from the free throw line.

The points, assists, steals, threes, and steals are in career terms, while the field goal percentage and rebounds per game are the second highest of his NBA career.

At this stage, Powell believes he has done more than enough to prove he is an NBA All-Star this season.

“I think I’ve been playing at an all-star level all season,” Norman Powell said in an exclusive interview leading up to the all-star announcement. “Honestly, I don’t like to talk about myself, but I don’t think the numbers lie where I’m at, what I’m averaging, what I’m doing across the board, and then the efficiency that I’m playing.”

“I see myself as an all-star, I want to be an all-star and I think I am.”

Why is it called NBA All-Star Matter for Powell? The memory of his days in Toronto, where he watched two former teammates named to the All-Star team, has stuck with him nearly a decade later.

“I think it’s just another level. It’s another level that I want to get to, it’s another level that I’ve always seen myself at. Just another level that I see myself at. I know a lot comes with the territory, but I’m always I want to know how it feels. I want to know when your name is called. I watched DeMar (DeRozan), get their names called at home and accept their all-star jersey. I always watched it and said, ‘I can come until that moment.’ It’s something I’ve been chasing and seeing myself, so I hope it happens.”

Powell’s scoring seems to be directly correlated with the outcome of the Clippers’ games this season. The Clippers are 21-8 when Powell scores at least 18 points in a game this season – a .724 winning percentage – and are 0-7 when he scores 17 or fewer points in a game.

Powell has also reached double figures in the quarter 31 different times this season. By highlights, that’s the 16th most of any player this season, directly behind guys like Kevin Duran (32), Damian Lillard (33), Lamelo Ball (34) and Donovan Mitchell (35). That’s also ahead of guys like Jaylen Brown (29), De’aaron Fox (29), Trae Young (29), Cade Cunningham (28) and Lebron James (27). In case it didn’t click, that’s a lot of stars Powell is in the company of.

Among players who make at least eight triples per game, Norman Powell has the highest three-point percentage and the highest field goal percentage in the NBA. Powell’s league-leading three-point shooting is ahead of guys like Anthony Edwards (42.6 percent), Stephen Curry (42.6 percent) and Tyler Hero (40.4 percent).

It is not often to see a Player usage and volume While they also see that their efficiency goes along with them. That’s what makes Norman Powell’s season so much more impressive.

“I feel like I’m always looking at my game and seeing areas of improvement,” Powell explained of sticking points. “I think that’s why I’m still improving. I really think it was an opportunity for me. I mean, I think if people look back before I got here, and what I did with Portland before I got traded here, and my time in Toronto, I think that’s the level that I’ve always been able to play and be in. I think that I can always do that I win games and I just play better. I don’t think I’m ever perfect, and I’m always working on improving and always looking at my weaknesses.

“I don’t think it was like I had to do more to show that I could do it. I just take my opportunity, take the role and do what the team asks me to do and then show at Spurs where I have the opportunity for a bigger role that I can to take the pressure, I can take the pressure, the challenges that go with it and I can produce.”

As Norman Powell showed more and more of his prolific scoring potential, teams managed to bump him to the top of their scouting reports. Powell saw less ball spacing, more defenders on the ball and an overall concerted effort to reduce his scoring.

Powell feels the respect he gets from the defense today is something that has always been there. It’s the outside that hasn’t necessarily paid attention.

“I feel like I’ve always had respect,” Powell said. “I think outside is where I didn’t have respect, but inside the floor, in the game, the way I play, the opponents and things like that, they always respected me. They always showed me love and appreciation.

“I’ve had star players tell me they want me on their team. I feel like guys know how hard I work. I’ve competed against them. I don’t back down from a challenge. I don’t see them in fear. I go at them, and they respect that .They respected it from the jump when I was a young rookie in the league.I think it was it’s just more media putting you in a box.”

Entering the season with question marks surrounding Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell wanted to focus on how he can be the best version of himself while also leading the team to win. James Harden has always been, “The System,” but how can skaters still win records if he’s off the floor?

That’s exactly what Powell and longtime coach AJ Diggs tackled this summer.

“I think (practice) just got me ready as far as all aspects and what it takes to be a starter,” Powell added. “Filling different roles, especially with Kawhi and not knowing what to fully come up with. Just being able to be ready for the roles that are going to be thrown at me, the situations that I’m going to be in and off the floor, you know, as a leader, what it is, what that possible, you really control the game on the field I’m involved with, make sure that there is no stripping.

“If James goes to the bench and it’s just me, what does that unit look like in those four to five minutes? How can I make sure we’re going on the run and not on the wrong side where we’re -4 or -6. So just having that mental approach and the ability to prepare for that leadership role, and then just physically, like the skills of the wise, that you can get to the place where I have to I arrive, I slow down the game, pretending to dribble Left, because teams want to make me leave and I drive downhill. Really, really putting emphasis on my hands-free, to be able to finish, be able to drive and get to the same places I want to reach as if I were going straight.”

ON/OFF and advanced numbers also bring back Norman Powell’s NBA All-Star case. According to NBA.com/stats, Norman Powell has the second best Net rating differential in the team at +7.6 points per 100 hours, last only to Ivica Zubac at +9.7 points per 100.

On the other spectrum, Norman Powell quantified scorer (also called KSI; a stat that measures a player’s impact and ability to finish compared to the average improvement in the NBA, among games that took at least 500 shot attempts) . His +8.74 KSI ranks in the 90th percentile.

U 1182 minutes with Powell On the floor, the clips have a net rating of 6.44

In 939 minutes with Powell off the floor, the skaters have a net rating of A -0.93.

In the 92nd minute with Powell, but James Harden and Ivica Zubac off, the clips have a net rating of +6.04.

In the 274th minute with Powell and hardening, the clips have a net rating of 5.08.

Powell also has the second-highest effective field goal percentage (59.35 percent) in the league among guards behind only Zach Lavine (60.78 percent). For those unfamiliar, field goal percentage (often written as EFG%) is a stat that provides increased value on three-pointers versus two-wings.

Beginners for 2025 NBA All-Star Game have already been selected, and now it is up to the head coaches of the NBA to decide the fate of the reserves. Norman Powell has performed far better than any outside expectations of him with the departure of Paul George. The Clippers guard has a career streak in his 10th season in the NBA, which is unheard of for that to happen.

But at the moment is the fifth seed in the west who is headed by an ultra efficient shooter will be enough? It should be, but the West is filled with so many extremely talented guards that this race will be difficult to predict. One thing’s for sure: Norman Powell has more than earned his spot on the NBA All-Star team.