THE Los Angeles Clippers had a troublesome offseason. They misplaced a number of instances All-Star Paul George in free companywhen he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Moreover, the Clippers additionally misplaced former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to the Denver Nuggets. And in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kawhi Leonard aggravated a knee damage whereas coaching with Workforce USA. On the time of writing these strains, Leonard has but to see motion for the Clippers this season.
Consequently, it is easy to see why Los Angeles not precisely thought of a competitor.
It is protected to say the Clippers ended one other promising period with no championship to indicate for it. However surprisingly, Los Angeles is proving to be a shock crew getting into the 2024-25 season.
Probably the most nice shock for the Clippers was the emergence of Norman Powell. Powell has been thought of a harmful scorer within the league. However with Los Angeles missing in star energy, the previous NBA champion has stepped in to reply his crew’s name to take over on offense.
If followers recall, the Clippers truly managed to land Powell on the commerce deadline for the 2021-2022 season. With Powell’s breakthrough, the Clippers have an enormous reliever who can fill the absence of Leonard and probably the void left by George.
Norman Powell’s escape sequence
Powell is averaging 23.3 factors, 3.1 rebounds and a pair of.3 assists per recreation. That features a career-best outing in a win over the Denver Nuggets that noticed him explode for 37 factors, capturing 67 p.c from the sector and scoring on seven three-pointers.
Whereas the NBA champion takes cost of scoring, his affect has made the Clippers a shock crew. The Clippers are at the moment 8-7, good for the ninth seed within the Western Convention. It is a respectable report, particularly while you enter the season with low expectations. In fact, credit score additionally goes to Tyronn Lue for encouraging Powell to be extra aggressive offensively.
Though Powell is at the moment sidelined with a hamstring damage, anticipate the Clippers to as soon as once more depend on the 6’4 guard for factors in his return to the motion. If Powell continues his outstanding scoring streak, anticipate the Clippers to have just a few surprises in retailer because the season goes on.
James Harden easily transforms into facilitator
One other necessary purpose for Powell’s outstanding scoring is James Harden’s transition into a degree guard. Normally, Harden would take over the scoring column for any crew, which was his day by day routine since his MVP days with the Houston Rockets. However despite the fact that Harden is an elite scorer, it seems he is taking over the position of a facilitator this time round.
Contemplating how Harden attracts opposing defenses, it was a superb recreation plan for Beard to arrange for his teammates. One of many benefactors of Harden’s good play has been Powell. In lieu of Leonard’s absence, Harden and Powell did an incredible job offering one-two punch within the backcourt.
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Provided that Harden continues to be in search of his first championship, it is no shock that he is keen to sacrifice his scoring in favor of crew wins. Though the Clippers usually are not closely favored on this stacked Western Convention, Harden thriving within the level guard position can nonetheless open up loads of potentialities for the franchise.
Will Norman Powell proceed to attain as soon as Kawhi Leonard returns?
Powell is arguably the highest choice for the Clippers proper now. Nonetheless, it is protected to say that this may change when Kawhi Leonard lastly returns to the court docket. Leonard continues to be the perfect participant on the Clippers crew, no matter his damage historical past. Actually, The Klaw stays the Clippers’ greatest hope to finish their curse.
However with Leonard’s return, it stays to be seen whether or not Powell can proceed his scoring progress. Nonetheless, Powell isn’t any stranger to enjoying alongside The Klaw, having received a championship collectively in Toronto in 2019. Moreover, even when Leonard returns to type, there isn’t a doubt that the Clippers can even look to maintain him at prices if the crew has an opportunity of securing not less than one spot for the Play-Ins.
For now, the Clippers ought to maximize Powell’s emergence. Because the saying goes, strike whereas the iron is sizzling.
