Norman Powell surprised many last year when he came out of nowhere midseason, started a number of games down the stretch, and played a critical role in the team’s first round victory over the Indiana Pacers by guarding Paul George effectively while DeMarre Carroll still somewhat struggled with his return from injury. This season, the expectations have been hard to gauge for Norm, as his minutes fluctuated, as did his play, but overall the signs have been positive, with him showing an aggressive attacking game that tends to catch his opponents off guard and hard-nosed defense.
In many ways, this mirrors the path of the team over the last few years, and going forward, maybe both should be handled similarly. The Raptors, after the Rudy Gay trade, came out of nowhere to make the playoffs, and despite setbacks against Brooklyn that season and Washington the next, they persevered and the record kept getting better, as the expectations also kept getting higher.
This season, the Raptors were expected to push the Cleveland Cavaliers once again, and started the season strong, going into their December 28th game against the Golden State Warriors with a 22-8 record that had them just a game back from Cleveland for the top spot in the conference. That was when things started to come off the rails, with just a 17-20 mark since then punctuated by key injuries to Patrick Patterson, DeMarre Carroll and more recently Kyle Lowry. While there have been plenty of positives even over the stretch since Christmas, the overall trends have to be worrying as the defense has slipped overall. They’ve won six of their ten games since the All-Star break and reveal of Lowry’s injury, but they’ve struggled to score and had to win on the back of stellar performances that might not be available every night.
Along the same vein, at the trade deadline the team dealt away Terrence Ross, the prime competition for Powell’s minutes off the bench. The trade was more to bring in Serge Ibaka to bolster the frontline than to send away Ross, but the message was also clear that Powell’s role would be expanded, and the sophomore’s 40.4% mark from long distance from his rookie year would be put to the test, as without Ross’ shooting the team would need help in that area. Since the deadline and Ross’ departure, Norm has been often impressive, scoring in double digits six times and working hard for his points in the paint and at the three-point line, but his defense has, like the team’s, slipped somewhat and his threes haven’t been falling, with just a 29.6% mark over that period.
With fifteen games left in the season, Kyle Lowry still out, possibly until the playoffs and DeMarre Carroll’s status uncertain in the short term, the expectations are unclear for both Powell and the team. It’s hard to say whether either was simply overachieving by exceeding them until now, or those hard-earned accomplishments were signs of development to come. Will Powell’s shooting and defense return to the levels we saw last year, and can he do that while maintaining the aggressiveness off the bounce that’s been so important to the team this year? Can the Raptors find a way to score enough on offense while keeping their defensive intensity and not wearing out players with the playoffs looming?
Maybe the answers here are as similar as the questions. At the end of the day, Powell is still a second-year player, barely removed from being drafted in the second round, and if he needs time to develop and solidify his game that would only be expected for someone with that profile. For the Raptors as well, this level of playoff expectation is still new to the franchise, and perhaps it’s best to take a step back and appreciate the culture building that’s happened. With seven players on the roster still on rookie contracts, there might be no guarantee that this level of success holds up past the primes of Lowry and DeRozan, but there has to be hope that it can continue.
Cautious optimism is a hard line to ride, because the pessimism sometimes comes more naturally as a Raptors fan. It’s a tough summer of decisions ahead, with plenty of money and long-term contracts headed to Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Patrick Patterson, whether the Raptors or another team is paying those deals. But as with Powell’s recent shooting and defensive slips, you have to keep looking forward to what can come next. The cupboard is stocked with assets and Masai Ujiri has shown an impressive ability to come through in the draft.
Unknowns are both exhilarating and exasperating, and there’s plenty here. Last season saw comparisons to Russell Westbrook for Powell as this season brought comparisons to the NBA’s best for the Raptors. Maybe neither reaches the heights promised, but the journey is going to be fun for both. If Powell can continue his growth and pursuit of NBA’s stardom, hopefully the path for the Raptors can continue to mimic his journey.
