The Raptors are very good. Yes, that’s an oversimplification, but it’s just fun to say. The Raptors are looking the part of a dominant basketball team and are fun to watch. They are currently have the top offence in NBA history at 117.6 points per 100 possessions (Golden State holds down the second spot, at a distant 116.6), have two legitimate All Stars, enjoy the steady production of several veterans, are on pace for a record 58 wins, and still have young talent at the end of the bench that many rebuilding teams would be envious of (Hi, Brooklyn!).
It’s just fun being a Raptors fan right now, which is a far cry from much of the team’s history. So many years of losing basketball have been endured by the Toronto faithful. Despite their success of recent years the Raptors have won just 44.3 percent of their games in franchise history, good for the 6th worst franchise winning percentage in the NBA, with only the Charlotte Hornets (44.1 percent), Brooklyn Nets (43.5 percent), Memphis Grizzlies (41.8 percent), Los Angeles Clippers (39.7 percent), and Minnesota Timberwolves (39 percent) behind them.
Norman Powell may be the biggest sign of changed times in Toronto. At any other point in franchise history, a prospect as good as Powell would have been force fed as many minutes as he could handle. He would have been given every opportunity to shine.
Instead, Powell is currently having trouble breaking into an incredibly deep rotation. He is currently stuck behind DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, and Terrence “Terry” Ross, while also being stuck behind incredibly successful line-ups that include both Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph.
Powell has proven himself as a legitimate NBA player and even looks the part of a potential starter. It’s incredible to think that the Raptors managed to snag him with the 46th overall pick.
For players currently in their first or second seasons (minimum 180 minutes played), Powell is among the leaders in many advanced statistics. He is 6th in PER, 5th in Steal Percentage, has the 3rd lowest turnover percentage, the 2nd best offensive rating, 7th best win shares, and 3rd best win shares per 48 minutes. All of this despite 41 other rookies/sophomores having played more minutes than him.
Powell is simply stuck right now. He is too good for garbage time minutes or the D-League, but is currently buried behind more established NBA talent.
This is a pretty small problem when looking at the full picture, but it’s still a problem for the Raptors to solve. Powell could play a role in helping to limit minutes for DeRozan and Lowry (among others). He’s already helping to limit the load on Carroll by allowing him to sit in back-to-backs (his five games starting in place of Carroll have accounting for 42 percent of his minutes this season). Powell can fit into so many different line-ups as the Raptors put him in a variety of different roles (in which he has excelled).
Powell is the ultimate insurance policy for the Raptors, providing them with the ability to play some spot minutes at both wing spots, handle the ball, and open up opportunities for small ball line-ups. His presence could open up trade opportunities (Hi, Terry?) due to their depth, and gives them coverage for any injuries the Raptors sustain or rest games they choose to take (Powell saw 26 minutes against Brooklyn on Tuesday when Patrick Patterson rested).
Every time I watch Powell play I immediately question why he isn’t playing more, which is a great reminder of how much times have changed in Toronto.
*stats are from Basketball Reference and are prior to Wednesday’s games
