The Toronto Raptors have assigned Norman Powell to Raptors 905 of the D-League, the team announced.
The timing is a bit surprising with the Raptors set to play Wednesday night and already out DeMarre Carroll (knee) and Bruno Caboclo (D-League), but the Raptors probably won’t need 13 players against Utah, anyway. The 905, meanwhile, are out Ronald Roberts (knee), DeAndre Daniels (foot), Axel Toupane (Denver), and Greg Smith (Minnesota), meaning that even with Powell’s addition, they’ll still only have 10 bodies for practice. Their lineup looks something like this right now:
PG: Shannon Scott, John Jordan, Ashton Smith
SG: Powell, Scott Suggs
SF: Bruno Caboclo, Melvin Johnson III
PF: Michale Kyser
C: Sim Bhullar, Keanau Post
Even if Powell is recalled following Wednesday’s practice session, it seems a safe bet he’d be re-assigned for the 905’s game on Thursday. Here’s guessing Lucas Nogueira joins him Thursday, too, assuming everyone leaves the Utah game healthy.
It’s been a minute since Powell was with the 905, as he hasn’t been assigned since Jan. 27. Up to that point, he appeared in seven games with the club, averaging 23.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent from long-range. He was terrific at using his north-south driving ability to get to the rim and to the free-throw line, and as his time progressed, he grew much more comfortable – and creative – finding teammates off the bounce, the next step in his development.
The time in the D-League served Powell well, as shortly after returning he was thrust into starting duty with Carroll and James Johnson both on the shelf. Powell drew four starts, impressing with his defense on the wing and showing some offensive spark in his final start after three games without a field goal. In the time since Johnson returned, Powell’s gone back to his deep reserve role, though he’s had a pair of strong five- or six-minute showings off the bench, making his case for more time.
On the season, Powell’s averaged 6.2 minutes over 27 games, putting up 1.4 points on 28.8-percent shooting. That’s obviously not great, but with Powell, defense comes first, and he’s shown well on that end of the floor. The book on his offense remains the same – he can get to the rim but needs to refine his corner three to fit in on the Raptors – but he’s flashed encouraging signs despite the 1-of-14 mark from outside at the NBA level (his shot looks much tighter than at the start of the year, and for whatever it’s worth, he’s put on some pretty masterful post-practice shooting displays).
With just 13 minutes of playing time to his name over the last three weeks, Powell will get a chance to get serious run in over the next few days (the 905 are also at home Saturday), playing 30 to 40 minutes with the ball in his hands plenty. Disappointing though that may be less than a month removed from starting, it certainly helped keep him ready for when his name was called last time.
