Former UCLA Star Resumes Dominance in Wild Breakout NBA Season

Former UCLA Bruins star Norman Powell has returned from injury and is back to dominating with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Dec 1, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) shoots against the against the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell had missed six straight games due to a hamstring injury, interrupting his wild breakout NBA season.

Well, Powell returned to the Clippers' lineup on Sunday, and he resumed his incredible start.

The former UCLA Bruins star scored 28 points while draining five three-pointers in Los Angeles' win over the Denver Nuggets, his latest brilliant performance in what has been a 2024-25 campaign full of them.

Powell had always been a solid complementary scorer, but this season, he has truly taken his game to new heights.

The 31-year-old is averaging 23.6 points per game on 49.2/49.6/83.1 shooting splits, well above his career average of 12.6 points per game.

Of course, you have to wonder if his percentages will dip just a bit. While Powell is a good 3-point shooter (lifetime 40 percent shooter from deep), he is making nearly half of his triples this year, and the likelihood is that he will regress in that department.

Still, one cannot ignore the massive step forward Powell has taken this year.

It's a curious case of Powell being a late bloomer, although there is also no question that he was progressing as an offensive threat over the years.

During the 2021-22 campaign, for example, Powell logged 19 points per game, and two years ago, he registered 17 points per game.

That being said, last season, the UCLA product posted 13.9 points a night, so to see his scoring average make such a significant jump this season has been jarring, to say the least.

Powell played for the Bruins between 2011-12 and 2014-15 and was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. He was immediately traded to the Toronto Raptors.

The San Diego native established himself as a solid role player for the Raptors, spending five-and-a-half productive seasons in Toronto before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers midway through the 2020-21 campaign.

Powell proceeded to spend parts of two seasons with the Blazers and was then dealt to the Clippers in February 2022.

With Kawhi Leonard sidelined in Los Angeles, Powell has emerged as the team's top scorer, even over James Harden.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.