Norman Powell
Imagine that, Norman Powell being the leading player in the stock up column this season. It’s hard to quantify Powell’s value to the Raptors, mostly because of his inconsistencies. Just as he’s hitting his stride, you worry that it’s all going to fall apart.
Recently, that hasn’t been the case, and Powell is progressing nicely, thank the heavens. A career-high 33 points against the Orlando Magic was enough to will the Raptors to victory in the ugliest game you will see for a long time, and that was followed up with decent performances against the Utah Jazz and the Miami Heat.
Powell made the jump to starter when Lowry went down, and it was a little uncertain with how he would fare, but like VanVleet, Powell has done enough to warrant more minutes over the last three games. Whether or not he can sustain it over a longer period of time is anyone’s guess, but the signs are good.
He’s now averaging 37-percent from three on a career-high 4.7 attempts per game, along with a career-high 13.4 points per game. This past week was as good as we’ve seen Powell this season, and hopefully, it’s the Powell we’ll see for the rest of the way.
VERDICT: STOCK UP
This was an easy one, Powell stepped up to the big leagues this week and the Raptors still look like one of the best teams in the league. Will they look the same next week? Undoubtedly.