TORONTO — Norman Powell is the last Raptor left in the gym. It’s a Thursday afternoon, the day after a comeback win over the Indiana Pacers — Powell’s first game in a month and a half — and after a lively practice session, the team has emptied the team’s practice facility save for Powell, who is getting up more shots before calling it a day.
“I feel like I have something to prove every year,” he says.
That’s the mindset Powell carries with him as he goes about his work, and it’s one that has gotten him far — from a high-school recruit ranked outside the top 50 to a star at UCLA; from a second-round pick to an NBA rotation player; from G-League standout to key playoff performer in the same season; and, more recently, from a non-guaranteed entry level salary to a four-year, $42 million contract.
But it’s been a roller coaster ride for Powell as of late, coming off a disappointing 2017-18 season that saw his role limited and production falter.
“Last year didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” he says, “so that was extra motivation to go out there this season and play and get back to where I want to be — to achieve more. But I feel I always have something to prove, so that doesn’t change too much from game to game or year to year.”
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Still, as he alludes to, there’s no doubt that, despite this being just the first year of his new deal, he’s entered this season with more to prove.
Powell changed his summer routine. He hired a personal chef and altered his diet, and tried new workout routines. He trained in boxing and, twice a week, practiced yoga and pilates in between long hours spent on the basketball court.
He came into this season looking to be an all-around contributor, a utility weapon capable of doing whatever was asked of him.
In a relatively short time, his stature as a Raptor has morphed several times, regarded as everything from a missing piece to relative afterthought. His role has changed even more. At times, he’s responded — most famously, his playoff breakout during his rookie year, when he joined Raptors starters and helped defend Paul George to win a series. Other times, like major stretches of last season, he was, by his own estimation, trying to do far too much in a limited role.
“I’ve been here for four years now, in a mixed variety of situations and scenarios — good and bad,” Powell says. “I’ve played really great being just thrown in there and asked to play off of guys. I’ve been in scenarios where I was a go-to-guy because of injuries; I’ve been in situations where I was trying to force things and make things happen because my game wasn’t going the way I want.”
This season was off to a promising start. Through his first ten games, his minutes were up slightly over last year and in games when Kawhi Leonard sat out, Nick Nurse tabbed Powell to replace him in the starting lineup. He was shooting the ball better than he ever had — 41 per cent from deep and 47.6 per cent from the floor — and playing with purpose, looking to move on from last season’s disappointment and eager to re-establish himself under a new head coach. His team was off to a 9-1 record. It was as good an opening salvo as he could have hoped for.
Then, in an early November game against Utah, Powell hurt his shoulder while fighting through an off-ball screen. It kept him on the sideline for 21 games. The team hardly skipped a beat in his absence.
“It’s frustrating to sit out. You put all your work in in the summer to show that you’ve improved and can help the team win, so it’s definitely frustrating.”
He made his return on Wednesday night against the Pacers, playing 15 minutes in the win.
“Felt a little rusty, you know, but I felt good out there,” he says. “My legs felt good, my wind felt good. I was a little sore and tired after, but it’s good. The flow with the offence is going to come, I’m just focusing on the energy and effort I put into the defensive end.”
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From watching him scrimmaging and going through drills at practice over the past couple of weeks, he had appeared ready to return for a while, but the team was cautious, and for good reason. Powell can be an important contributor to this team, a hard-nosed wing defender and disruptive force breaking through defences on the other end of the floor, and the Raptors know it.
As he nursed his shoulder injury, the coaching staff continually let Powell know precisely what they wanted from him upon his return.
“Be an attacker, get into the paint, creating for others, getting more paint touches. That’s what I do, I’m a driver, I’m able to get into the lane and create and finish. It’s about energy and pace,” he says. “Playing at full speed, getting into guys and pressuring guys on the defensive end.”
The overarching message was clear and simple: “Be aggressive and take what the defence is giving me, reading the game.”
There’s a delicate balance between asserting yourself — or in Powell’s case, re-asserting yourself — and blending into your given role. But with the Raptors playing at a high level, and the freedom and ease that comes from Nick Nurse’s offence, Powell is optimistic that he’s returning to a situation he can excel in.
No more over-thinking, no more forcing. Just basketball.
“It’s really easy for me now to just go out there and play, not think about anything, let things come to me, and just play within the offence,” he says. “The offence is going to create a bunch of opportunities for me and the team. While the ball is moving, and we’re moving around, the ball is going to find you.”
“There’s no need to rush and think ‘I have to do something now.’ The ball is going to come find you, and when it does, you take those shots. And you live with the results.”
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