LA Clippers guard Norman Powell thriving in ‘biggest year’ of career — Andscape

At the end of NBA games, star players are typically the ones attempting late-game shots. But for Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell, nothing has been typical.

Powell nailed the game-sealing shot on a 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining in the Clippers’ season-saving 111-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of their first-round series on Thursday. His clutch 3-pointer in a 24-point performance was the last field goal the Clippers made in the final 5:57 of the win. The Clippers will visit the Nuggets tonight to play a deciding Game 7.

“I was just focused on winning the game,” Powell said after Game 6. “I pride myself in the work that I put in. I pride myself in being ready for these big moments and coming through for my teammates when they need me most. If you look at my playoff career, I’ve been able to do that in big games: being called upon, my role changing, starting in playoff series, coming off the bench, things like that. It’s all prepared me for moments like this.

“In those times, I just focus on the game and trust my work and staying in the moment — nothing outside, off the court, whatever’s happening. And all that matters is one possession at a time and what I have to do to make a play.”

The Clippers’ spotlight has primarily been on NBA All-Star James Harden, perennial All-Star Kawhi Leonard and their new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, this season. But for Powell, he earned the spotlight for the Clippers as well with a breakthrough campaign in his 10th NBA season.

Powell averaged career highs of 21.8 points, 2.1 assists, 3.0 3-pointers and 2.1 steals per game this season. The athletic 6-foot-3, 215-pounder and former UCLA star was viewed much of the season as a Most Improved Player award candidate, but at 60 regular-season games played he didn’t meet the criteria (65 games) to be eligible.

Powell called this season the “biggest year for me.”

“It’s fun. For me it’s what I expected of myself,” Powell said on April 13. “Given the opportunity, I felt like I could’ve been doing this for a long time if you looked back at the times I got the opportunity to play my role or my game. The production spoke for itself.

“I took a lesser role coming here fitting in and trying to win a championship with my team every single year. You got to sacrifice for the greater good because you want to win. I didn’t expect anything less for me. I prepared for this moment all year.”

Powell was a four-star recruit out of Lincoln (San Diego) High School who was ranked as the 52nd best player in the nation in the 2011 ESPN 100. Powell considered entering the NBA draft after his junior year at UCLA but ultimately played all four seasons, averaging a team-best 16.4 points as a senior during the 2014-15 season.

Powell was selected in the second round (46th overall) of the 2015 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks before having his draft rights dealt to the Toronto Raptors. He established himself as a quality NBA reserve and defender with the Raptors, winning an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019. The Clippers acquired Powell from the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 4, 2022, in a multi-player trade in hopes of him being a high-level scoring guard and defender.

On his NBA career, Powell said that he has been trying “to prove people wrong that I belong here.” One attribute that has helped him is having the mentality and work ethic of his idol, the late Kobe Bryant.

“I’ve always had to scratch and claw for everything. I’ve always been the underdog,” Powell said.

Powell lived up to the Clippers’ hopes, but an opportunity to make an impact as a starter arrived with the departure of Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers last offseason.

Powell was an NBA All-Star candidate for the first time of his career this season, averaging 24.2 points and 3.4 3-pointers made per game prior to the All-Star break. But Harden was the only Clippers player named an All-Star.

“It hit me hard,” Powell told Andscape on April 11 of not getting selected to the All-Star Game. Powell participated in the 2025 All-Star 3-point competition, finishing third. “It’s a goal of mine and something I’ve always wanted to have under my personal achievements. To finally have the opportunity after 10 years to go there — and you’re playing well and better than expected and no one else believed was possible — you feel you’re going to get that nod just for your story.

“It sucked, but I’m happy that James got it. If we won a few more games or were a little higher [in the standings], we might have got two All-Stars there. But it’s just putting the league on notice and I will be right back for it next year.”

The Clippers won 50 games for the second year in a row, which Powell called a “big landmark.” Powell reminded some media members following a 124-119 overtime win at Golden State on April 13 that some projected the Clippers to win 35 games.

While Powell has proven he can do more when given the opportunity, he told Andscape he learned humility by accepting the moments when he has to be a role player.

“Honestly, it’s from my family. My mom. My uncle. My upbringing. Just being humble, being thankful for everything,” Powell said. “Having to work for everything. When you go through the struggle growing up in a single-parent household and see the lessons, mom struggling and making it work, you’re just thankful for the lessons. You’re thankful for the opportunity and the ups and downs that come with it and being able to learn.

“I know everything can be taken away. Being in this position, it doesn’t make me better than anybody. We’re all human. It’s going to come to an end at some point. Just enjoy it and be thankful for everything.”

In Toronto in 2019, Powell and Leonard brought the Canadian franchise its first NBA title, and Powell said it “would be amazing” to be a part of the first NBA title team for the Clippers. But the road to the NBA Finals is difficult for the Clippers, who must win a do-or-die Game 7 at Denver to advance to the second round. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the Western Conference top seed, await the winner.

“Our mentality needs to be the same mentality that we had here [in Game 6], no setbacks, no drawbacks, no taking our foot off the gas,” Powell said. “We have the blueprint, we know what we need to do, and it’s gonna take everybody stepping on that floor, being tied [together], communicating, bringing that pressure and that gritty, attack mentality.”