Former UCLA Bruins Star Making Shocking NBA All-Star Case

Former UCLA Bruins star Norman Powell is a serious NBA All-Star candidate for the Los Angeles Clippers this season.

Dec 27, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) celebrates after a 3-point basket in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2024-25 NBA season, I don't think anyone had "breakout year for Norman Powell" on their bingo card.

Nevertheless, here we are.

The Los Angeles Clippers guard has been absolutely magnificent this season, averaging 24.2 points per game on 49.5/46.6/84.5 shooting splits.

Over his last five contests, Powell is registering 28.2 points a night and has buried 18 three-pointers throughout that stretch.

With the NBA All-Star Game right around the corner, the former UCLA Bruins star is making a serious case to earn the first selection of his career, and at the age of 31, no less.

Don't get it twisted: Powell has always been a good scorer. He has approached 20 points per game twice, logging 18.6 points per game and then 19 per game in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively.

But we have never seen this type of production from Powell.

It's not just that he is averaging a career high in points. It's also that, in spite of the increased volume, he is shattering his lifetime best for three-point percentage and is currently equaling his career-high for field-goal percentage.

What's more, he boasts a true-shooting percentage of 64.1 percent, the best of his career.

Additionally, Powell is a very solid defender, making him a legitimate two-way player for a team that was in desperate need of a boost on both ends of the floor in Kawhi Leonard's absence.

Consider this: in spite of Leonard having not yet played a game this season, the Clippers are 18-13 and sit in first place in the Pacific Division.

That's a testament to just how terrific Powell has been, and the fact that he is recording .161 win shares per 48 minutes (yet another career high) is evidence to just how vital the UCLA product has been to Los Angeles' surprising success.

Early on in his NBA tenure with the Toronto Raptors, no one would have ever imagined that Powell would be an All-Star one day, but it's very difficult to argue against the case he is making.

Powell isn't chucking. He isn't one-dimensional. He is doing a little bit of everything, and for that, he deserves major recognition.

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