Toronto Raptors: Who has the most to prove in training camp?
Norman Powell
Norman Powell has been in and out of the starting lineup for the past couple of years now. He had a chance to secure a starting spot during the 2017-2018 season until OG Anunoby stole it from him while he was out with an injury. Even after coming back he hasn’t been able to reclaim his spot as a starter. The main reason being unless the Raptors are playing the Milwaukee Bucks, we don’t know which Norman Powell will show up on some nights.
As the 46th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, there weren’t that many expectations for Powell coming into the league. If anything, a role player off the bench is what most second-round players aim to be at. However, those expectations for Powell changed after he signed a contract extension in 2017 for over $42 million dollars.
In Norm’s defense, his task as a starter before the 2018-2019 season was to guard the best wing player regardless if they were a small forward or shooting guard. At only 6-foot-4, you could imagine Powell having some sort of trouble guarding wings like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and at times LeBron James. With OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam both being able to take that role, it should be easier for Norm to handle his new responsibilities.
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Powell started in a total of 63 games in his career. His number of starts has fallen from 24 in his rookie year, to 18 in each of the next 2 years, to only three last season. Even with both Danny Green and Kawhi gone, Nick Nurse has stated on multiple occasions being comfortable with starting Patrick McCaw, so the starting spot at shooting guard is all but secured.