At last, the long-term impact of the LA Clippers' Norman Powell trade with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022 has finally yielded. He has had one of the most premiere and cherished individual seasons from Clippers fans, and after a bumpy beginning in the postseason, the former NBA champion showed why the front office pursued him.
Furthermore, in 2022, the Clippers snagged Powell and a current pending free agent in Robert Covington from the young and bright TrailBlazers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, and a second-round pick. Of the five players involved, Powell is the only active NBA player.
However, Powell is not just somebody in the NBA; he is one of the most efficient, electric, and clutch scorers NBA fans have had the pleasure of watching this season. He did face injuries that set him back, but now at full health in the playoffs, the UCLA product is causing heavy frustration among the Denver Nuggets' coaching staff.
Nuggets head coach David Adelman has so many things to worry about with James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac on both sides of the ball that one of LA's top three regular-season scorers slips a loophole in his game plan.
Nonetheless, the Clippers got the return on their investment package from a trade at the deadline three seasons ago.
Norman Powell's game six against the Nuggets proved why winning at the deadline is essential in the long run
After two back-to-back atrocious outings from Norman Powell to open the series, LA Clippers fans could only feel for the mental state of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. They lived up to the playoff chatter but had their next-best scorer attempt horrible shots and turn the ball over.
In the first two battles of the series, Powell recorded a combined 25 points, shooting 10-26 from the field and 4-10 from three with five turnovers.
Conversely, once Powell saw the fans pack out Intuit Dome for the first playoff game ever, he knew the type of player he had to become. This is why support from the crowd is prominent, as it can transform a player's postseason character.
Powell has averaged 19.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in every game after game two, with a field goal percentage of 53.8. He also cashed in 10 three-pointers in the process, with just four turnovers.
That said, Powell also came up big in game four and tonight, which backed up how genius the Clippers were in trading for him in 2022.