After leading his team to a number one seed and despite a heart-breaking loss in the quarterfinals, Toronto Raptors shooting guard Norman Powell has been named to the All-NBA Summer League’s second team.
Powell, who was named to the first team in his Summer League debut last year, led the Raptors in scoring in each of their five games, averaging 19.8 points per game, which was good for ninth. After going a perfect 3-0 in round robin play, Powell led all players in PER and showed off a markedly improved shooting stroke, particularly from beyond the arc.
https://twitter.com/RaptorsMR/status/754879723172421632
Powell also chipped in 4.4 boards and one steal per game. One particular point of emphasis for Powell heading into the Summer League was his drive-and-dish game, taking advantage of his ability to draw multiple defenders as a ballhandler due to the threat he poses getting into the lane . While his 2.4 assists per are a little lower than what he and the team would have liked, Powell did place an emphasis on playmaking throughout the Summer League.
Of course, he also continued to do what he does best: destroy rims (and the souls of the defenders standing near them as he approaches for takeoff):
Yet it was the aforementioned three-point stroke that provided Powell’s biggest highlight of the Summer League, a clutch dagger to tie the Raptors’ quarterfinal game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves:
Alas, it was for naught, thanks to one of the most questionable calls in Summer League history (…and that’s really saying something). With the game tied and just 0.4 seconds left on the clack, Minnesota’s Tyus Jones hooked his right foot around his defender and drew the foul, winning the game at the free-throw line. Jones would subsequently be named Summer League MVP, presumably for his ability to bait referees (his 25.3 ppg average in elimination games didn’t hurt). You can watch the clip below, but warning, Raptors fans who haven’t already seen the sequence may find this too hard to watch:
As for Powell, he’ll now continue his off-season regimen, working in tandem with the Raptors coaching staff and splitting time between California and Toronto.
To hear from Powell on his busy summer, impressions from his rookie season, and more, click here for Part One of my interview from before the Summer League, and click here for Part Two.
