Norman Powell Planted his Roots and Flourished in Toronto

Norman Powell defied all the odds in Toronto and as his Raptors tenure comes to a close, his impact should not be forgotten

Aaron Rose | Mar 25, 2021

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Norman Powell isn't supposed to be here.

The Toronto Raptors 27-year-old former second-round pick isn't supposed to be one of the NBA's most coveted assets expected to be moved at Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. He's not supposed to be in store for a massive payday expected to be around $20 million average annual salary this season. Just look at the 2015 NBA Draft.

In any given season about 20% of players in the league are second-round picks. Usually, those are recent second-round picks and players selected just outside the first round. It makes sense that Montrezl Harrell and Richaun Holmes are still in the league considering they were selected 32nd and 37th, respectively. Then look at Powell, selected 46th overall and sandwiched between Marcus Thornton and Arturas Gudaitis, two players who never played in the NBA. Frankly, of the 15 players selected between pick 45 and 60, Powell is one of just three to ever play in an NBA game.

Coming out of UCLA there were plenty of questions about how Powell's game would translate to the NBA. His shooting numbers had been up and down over his four-year career and he was considered a little too one-dimensional. There was, however, one thing everyone recognized in him: his toughness.

"He's one of the more hard-nose competitors you'll find in the college game," ESPN's Matt Williams wrote in June 2015. "Never missing a game over the course of his UCLA career playing through a number of injuries, Powell's grit can't be questioned."

Six years later and as his time in Toronto very likely comes to a close, that's the thing that makes Powell so proud of his time with the Raptors. He went from G League player to rotation player to a Sixth Man of the Year candidate to one of the NBA's best shooters all by continuing to grind.

"I’m a hard-working person that’s committed, fully focused on trying to maximize and be the best that I can be with the team, and just being a winner. No matter what happens I’m not going to quit, I’m going to figure it out, I’m going to keep going," Powell said Wednesday night following a 22-point performance against the Denver Nuggets.

To him, Toronto was the perfect place for a young, determined player to grow. It was the league's outpost, the team from Canada known for its losing tradition and its inability to attract free agents.

"Toronto was an underdog city in a sense, not many people knew about it," he said. "And being a team that’s kinda the outcast in the league and putting them on notice every single year when they put us out – we’re not going to make the playoffs, we’re not a championship-contending team. I mean it fit me perfectly, coming to Toronto, and I feel like the city and the fans see that in me, that hard-working mentality, that underdog mentality, and I think that’s what I stand for."

That's why Toronto is home for Powell. Even as his name swirls in trade rumours, he remains solely focused on doing what he can do for the Raptors.

"My roots are here," he said of Toronto. "I’ve given everything to the franchise. Obviously I want to stay here. I’m not out looking for other teams to go play for, and this, that and the other."

The problem is Powell has become almost too good these days. Since stepping into the Raptors starting lineup on January 22, he's leading Toronto in points per game and he's averaging almost 53% shooting and 45% 3-point shooting. Teams are reportedly lining up to pay him and potentially "overpay" him this summer just to acquire that kind of scoring burst. That's something the Raptors front office just can't do. And so, in the next few hours, his Toronto tenure will likely come to an end. He won't be remembered as an all-time great for the franchise the way Kyle Lowry or some select others will be, but he made a major impact on the franchise. He stepped up with clutch performances time after time in the playoffs and for that, he deserves a spot in Raptors lore.

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