Norman Powell

Norman Powell

Powell with UCLA against USC in 2015
No. 24 – Toronto Raptors
Position Shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1993-05-25) May 25, 1993
San Diego, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school Lincoln (San Diego, California)
College UCLA (2011–2015)
NBA draft 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46th overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career 2015–present
Career history
2015–present Toronto Raptors
2015–2016 →Raptors 905
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Norman W. C. Powell (born May 25, 1993)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, he was an all-conference player in the Pac-12. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft.

Powell was a two-time all-state high school player in California and led his team to a state championship before joining UCLA. After entering his senior year in 2014–15 as the Bruins' top returning player, he emerged as a team leader and received first-team All-Pac-12 honors. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, who subsequently traded his draft rights to Toronto.

Early years

Powell was born in Boston, Masscutis, to Sharon and Norman Powell Sr.[1] He was introduced to basketball by his uncle, Raymond Edwards. Powell decided to attend high school at Lincoln High, which had just been rebuilt and lost many athletes.[2] He helped rebuild their basketball program,[2] leading the team to consecutive California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Section 2A championships in 2009 and 2010. The team also captured the 2010 CIF Division II Boys' State Championship, with Powell scoring 24 points in a 74–59 win over Mountain View St. Francis. He finished his junior season averaging 19.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 steals, and earned first-team all-state as well as Western League Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.[1][3]

In his senior year, he was again first-team all-state and league MVP, and averaged 20.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals. Lincoln was 32–2 and won the league title with a 12–0 record. They were ranked No. 3 in California and No. 15 nationally, but were defeated 74–69 by Summit in the state semifinals.[1] He finished his high school career winning the San Diego County All Star Game Dunk Contest.[4]

Considered a four-star recruit by ESPN.com, Powell was listed as the No. 15 shooting guard and the No. 52 player in the nation in 2011.[5] Powell chose to play college basketball for UCLA over San Diego State, Arizona and Oregon.[3]

College career

In his first year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he was the only true freshman to play significant minutes in 2011–12, when he averaged 17.8 minutes and contributed 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 33 games, joining Tyler Lamb and Lazeric Jones as the only Bruins to play in every game that season.[6] While he excelled as a driving guard in high school, his role transformed at UCLA, taking less than one-fourth of his shots around the rim and close to half from outside on three-point attempts,[7] connecting on 38.5% over the last 18 games.[1]

Powell averaged 6.1 points in 22.1 minutes in 2012–13, making nine starts while playing all 35 games.[1] He began the season as a starter, but was later moved to the bench. His minutes declined from an average of 28.4 in the first seven games to 19 the following 26 games. After replacing injured starter Jordan Adams, Powell's minutes increased to 37 per game.[8] He considered transferring to San Diego State after the season,[9] but decided to stay primarily because UCLA coach Ben Howland was fired.[8] Powell credited Howland for his development on defense, but he stated that "there were a lot of things going on that weren’t fair for me" and "I definitely wanted to see a change."[7][10] The Bruins hired Steve Alford as their new coach.[8]

Powell in 2014

In 2013–14, Powell started all 37 games and was third on the team in scoring (11.4).[1] Under Alford, he became an offensive threat and a staunch defender.[7] He was more aggressive taking the ball to the basket, and dunked more than he could in Howland's system.[2][11][12] The team's best on-ball defender, Powell was routinely assigned the opponent's best offensive player and earned honorable mention for the Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team.[9][13] UCLA opened the 2014 NCAA Tournament in San Diego, enabling him to play in his hometown for the first time since high school.[11] UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16, and Powell averaged 13.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in three tournament contests. After the season, he considered playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and requested an evaluation of his prospects for the upcoming 2014 NBA draft.[14][15]

Informed that he was unlikely to be drafted,[16] Powell decided to return for his senior year, and became UCLA's top returning player and scorer for 2014–15 after underclassmen Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine each declared for the NBA draft, while seniors Travis and David Wear graduated.[17][18] During the offseason, Powell worked to improve his jump shot.[19] As the season progressed, he grew to be a leader of the team, and increasingly took on more of the offensive load.[20][21] Although freshman teammate Kevon Looney was seen as a potential NBA lottery pick, Powell became the Bruins' most consistent performer.[7] On March 1, 2015, Powell scored a career-high 28 points in a 72–67 win over Washington State.[22] He averaged 26 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games that week, and was honored with his conference-high third Pac-12 Player of the Week for the season.[7][20] The Bruins went 2–0, helping them secure an eventual No.4 seed and first-round bye in the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament, and maintaining their hopes of receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.[22][23] At season's end, Powell was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and again received honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team.[24] He was also named first-team all-district by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA),[7] and second-team all-district by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).[25] He finished as the team leader in scoring with 16.4 points per game, the sixth highest in the conference.[1]

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2015–present)

On June 25, 2015, Powell was selected with the 46th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. His draft rights, along with a 2017 first-round draft pick, were subsequently traded to the Toronto Raptors for Greivis Vásquez.[26] After signing with Toronto on July 15,[27] he played with the Raptors in the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he was the only rookie to be named to the All-NBA Summer League First Team.[28][29] Powell received playing time early in 2015–16 due to injuries to Terrence Ross and DeMarre Carroll.[30] He later received multiple assignments to Raptors 905, Toronto's D-League affiliate.[31]

With Carroll out after knee surgery and James Johnson sidelined with a sprained ankle, Powell made his first NBA start on February 2, 2016, going scoreless with two steals in 15 minutes in a 104–97 win over the Phoenix Suns.[32] On March 15, he made his eighth career start and scored a then-season-high 17 points in a 107–89 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[33] He topped that mark on March 28, scoring 18 points in a 119–100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[34] Two days later, he scored 10 points in a 105–97 win over the Atlanta Hawks, helping the Raptors record a 50-win season for the first time in franchise history.[35] On April 8, with All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry resting, Powell scored a season-high 27 points in a 111–98 win over the Indiana Pacers.[36] In the Raptors' regular-season finale, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 103–96 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[37] After averaging an Eastern Conference-leading 15.3 points per game in April, he was named the conference's NBA Rookie of the Month.[38]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Toronto 49 24 14.8 .424 .404 .811 2.3 1.0 .6 .2 5.6
Career 49 24 14.8 .424 .404 .811 2.3 1.0 .6 .2 5.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 Toronto 18 3 11.4 .386 .269 .875 1.5 .3 .7 .1 3.8
Career 18 3 11.4 .386 .269 .875 1.5 .3 .7 .1 3.8

Personal life

The son of Norman Sr. and Sharon Powell, he has two older sisters, Joniece and Margaret. He majored in History.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Norman Powell Biography". UCLABruins.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Painter, Jill (March 20, 2014). "UCLA's Norman Powell a slam dunk in San Diego". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Maffei, John (January 13, 2014). "Lincoln's Powell enjoying ride at UCLA". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ Angulo, Blair (April 27, 2011). "In transition with Norman Powell". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Norman Powell Recruiting Profile". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ 2013–14 UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball Media Guide. UCLA Athletics. p. 60. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wang, Jack (March 10, 2015). "Norman Powell is thankful for his UCLA career, both the good and the bad". Daily News. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Yoon, Peter (April 2, 2013). "Norman Powell staying after Howland firing". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Kartje, Ryan (March 22, 2014). "Defensive stopper Norman Powell gets UCLA going". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Wang, Jack (May 22, 2013). "Norman Powell talks about decision to stay at UCLA". insidesocal.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Krasovic, Tom (March 20, 2014). "Unleashing Powell, UCLA's Alford ignited Bruins". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ Foster, Chris (March 19, 2014). "Norman Powell, Tony Parker can lift UCLA up a notch when they're on". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ Wang, Jack (March 10, 2014). "Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams lead UCLA's All-Pac-12 awards". insidesocal.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  14. ↑ Wang, Jack (April 13, 2014). "Report: Jordan Adams, Norman Powell file paperwork for NBA draft status". insidesocal.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  15. ↑ Allen, Percy (April 17, 2014). "Jordan Adams stays, Byron Wesley leaves". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  16. ↑ Plaschke, Bill (March 12, 2015). "UCLA's Norman Powell puts in four years of consistently hard work". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015.
  17. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (May 6, 2014). "CBS Sports Classic capsule: UCLA". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014.
  18. ↑ Wang, Jack (April 26, 2014). "UCLA leading scorer Jordan Adams changes course, declares for NBA draft". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014.
  19. ↑ Wang, Jack (October 23, 2014). "UCLA basketball relying on Norman Powell after tumultuous offseason". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  20. 1 2 Helfand, Zach (March 2, 2015). "Norman Powell is named Pac-12's player of the week for the third time". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015.
  21. ↑ Helfand, Zach (March 1, 2015). "UCLA wakes up in time to beat Washington State, 72-67". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Kartje, Ryan (March 1, 2015). "UCLA wakes up in time to defeat Washington State". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015.
  23. ↑ "UCLA grinds out 72-67 victory over Washington State". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 1, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015.
  24. ↑ "2014-15 Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Honors" (Press release). Pac-12. March 9, 2015. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015.
  25. ↑ "National Association of Basketball Coaches Announces 2014-15 Division I All-District Teams and UPS All-District Coaches" (PDF) (Press release). National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 27, 2015. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Raptors Tab Wright With 20th Pick, Acquire Future First-Round Pick & Rights To Norman Powell From Bucks". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Raptors Sign Norman Powell". NBA.com. July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  28. ↑ Asano, Naoko (October 2, 2015). "Raptors rookie Powell could be 'steal of the draft'". sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Spurs forward Kyle Anderson named Summer League MVP". SI.com. July 19, 2015. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015.
  30. ↑ MacKenzie, Holly (November 19, 2015). "Q&A With Norman Powell". Raptors.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015.
  31. ↑ "2015-16 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  32. ↑ O'Leary, Chris (February 2, 2016). "Raptors start next streak with win over Suns". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Lowry scores 25 points to lead Raptors past Bucks, 107-89". NBA.com. March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Westbrook's 16th triple-double leads Thunder to 8th in a row". NBA.com. March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Raptors beat Hawks 105-97 to notch first 50-win season". NBA.com. March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Raptors keep Pacers waiting for playoffs with 111-98 win". NBA.com. April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Raptors rest starters, beat Nets 103-96 in playoff tuneup". NBA.com. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Powell, Towns named Kia Rookie" (Press release). NBA. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016.
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