Across the league, no other team had a season opener as rough as the LA Clippers. The Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks could beg to differ, but the Clippers had a fully healthy roster, were expected to walk out of Delta Center with a statement win, and got stunned by 21 points.
On the same night, fans checked in on the former fan favorite, Norman Powell, playing in a divisional rivalry game against the Orlando Magic. Though everyone was thrilled to see him playing well for the Miami Heat, his debut left a bittersweet impression on Clipper Nation, as it also hurt to see him thrive for another team, knowing he had done the same for LA last season.
Nonetheless, Powell was the leading scorer on the Heat, and despite the loss, he had fans of the Clippers wandering in a hypothetical scenario on the potential opening-night outcome if the trade in July never happened.
Norman Powell looked like an entirely different player for the Miami Heat
While two former All-Stars, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins, were healthy, Tyler Herro was not, and the next guard up was clearly Norman Powell. They had many reasons for trading for him, but one of them was how much better he gets when the lights get brighter.
Furthermore, Powell concluded his first-ever regular season game with the Miami Heat on a stat line of 28 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, shooting 9-19 from the field and 4-8 from three-point territory.
The LA Clippers' fan base noticed his numbers and were not shocked by the scoring. He did it so many times last season that when he posts 30 points or has a night where he is close, there is no surprise.
However, the Heat had Powell crashing the glass and tallying assists. This is notable, as in one night he came close to career highs in both categories (12 rebounds and six assists) and was still Miami's best scorer.
Moreover, as Powell has more potential to be great for the Heat, the Clippers will realize that he is going to take another leap in his career. He seems to still be getting better, in his 30s, which is unusual, and could have been the difference LA needed in their horrific loss to the Utah Jazz.
Thus, the Clippers' defensive issues and concerns about age are present, yet Powell's dominance made the storm worse, even though John Collins also played well in his debut for LA.