Toronto Raptors: Three glaring questions ahead of the 2019-20 postseason

Where does Norman Powell fit in Toronto’s playoff rotation?

Since returning from injury and, frankly, for most of the 2019-20 season, Norman Powell has been a monster performer for the Toronto Raptors. Amidst all the trade talk concerning his likeness, the UCLA product has continued blossoming before our very eyes and appears ready to, once again, peak during the playoffs.

Because of a shoulder injury to Fred VanVleet, Powell has spent the last little while starting for Toronto. And he’s been exceptional since the lineup change.

So…if he keeps playing at this level, will Nick Nurse be forced to find a way to insert Powell into the Raptors’ starting five once the playoffs begin? I say “pump the brakes” because nothing is saying Powell can’t be this productive in a reserve role. Concurrently, VanVleet has done nothing to lose his spot in Toronto’s starting five.

The key to Powell’s recent rise has nothing to do with being in his team’s starting lineup, so when VanVleet eventually returns to game action, Nurse should not think twice about moving Powell back to the bench and having him captain Toronto’s second unit. Even as a reserve, Powell should expect to see 25-35 minutes in the playoffs.

All signs point to Powell having a new gear to his game, and there’s a case to be made that having him line up against opposing teams’ bench players will have even better results than what we’ve seen in recent outings.

And to anyone who remains adamant that Powell starts in the playoffs, I’ll say this – starting in the postseason means nothing…the real question is: are you good enough to finish games?

In Norm’s case, the answer is, “yes.”