In his second year with the Toronto Raptors, Norman Powell is an interesting case. He started the season behind Terrence Ross in the rotation, and team observers clamoured for him to get more minutes. His explosive drives, canny shot-making, and nosy defense make him easy to love — yet Norm’s difficult to watch when his axis falls unbalanced.
Powell’s been off since the Ross trade, and it’s one of a myriad of reasons why the Raptors have become anemic on the offensive end. Tonight, that script flipped — it was Powell’s livelihood that put Toronto over the top in one of the season’s most meaningful games.