The Los Angeles Clippers will be having their bobblehead night featuring Norman Powell, but unfortunately, Powell will be out due to injury. During their game against the Golden State Warriors, Powell suffered a right hamstring injury but came back in the game and hit some big shots to help them get the win. The Clippers’ guard will now be out against the Orlando Magic, and hopefully, he won’t be out any longer with his injury.
Powell has been the clear second-best player for the Clippers this season, and the stats show it as he’s averaging 23.3 points per game, which is the highest total of his career. If Powell can continue to play like this alongside James Harden, the Clippers will be able to stay afloat in the Western Conference.
With there still not being a timetable for when Kawhi Leonard will return, the Clippers will need as many players as they can to step up in his absence.
Norman Powell is stepping up for Clippers
The Clippers had a few major shifts happen throughout the offseason and before the regular season started. Kawhi Leonard was ruled out indefinitely as his right knee still recovers, and nobody has any clear update on when he might return to the floor. During the offseason, Paul George decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, which left another scoring hole on the team.
These major changes to the team have allowed Norman Powell to come into his own and be the scoring punch that the Clippers need. Powell knew that he would be able to shine given the opportunity and even noted that the departure of George was “addition by subtraction.”
Like I said, more guys get more opportunities, not only myself. I was excited,” Powell said during Media Day.
During media day, he also expressed how he wanted to be the starting shooting guard for the team.
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“What I’ve said in this media day since being here is that I wanna be the starting two-guard. The opportunity is in front of me. I’ve prepared myself. I’ve always seen myself as a star in this league. I feel like I’ve put the work in. I feel like the numbers show for itself when I am starting and what the output is. I’m excited to take on that role, the pressure that comes with it. The good, bad, and ugly,” Powell said.
“I feel like, mentally, I’m ready for it. I’ve always been ready for it,” Powell continued. “Physically, I put the work in. It’s not a question of that, it’s just being fully able to show the work that I’ve put in. So I’m excited for the full opportunity and everything that comes with it.”
There’s no doubt that so far this season, Powell has embraced the role and is playing some of the best basketball of his career.