It was a dream come true for Norman Powell to land in his hometown team Los Angeles Clippers last season, but an injury bug kept him out in performing at his best.
After being traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Clippers last February, Powell proceeded to play three games before sustaining a left foot fracture. His recovery took weeks, which only allowed him to suit up in the team’s last four games including the Play-In tournament.
The veteran admitted that it was a tough experience of not being able to have an on-court familiarization with his team in the previous campaign.
“It’s kind of a tough hill to climb on, only playing for three games and then coming back for the playoffs, it’s tough,” Powell said, via David Yapkowitz of 213 Hoops. “I really didn’t get a full chance to show what I bring to the table, just a little bit of a spark there.”
But having a rejuvenating offseason, he is now setting himself for a potential title year with Los Angeles.
“I think I fit into this team really well. My game is versatile, it doesn’t matter what role you put me in. Some nights I’ll be the guy to go score … put me in there and I’ll be your go-to guy, your 3&D guy, a guy you need to attack the rim and create something off the dribble, my game fits really well when they need a bucket outside of PG and Kawhi.”
With Kawhi Leonard and Peol George expected to be back at full strength, Powell can have sky high aspirations for the whole Clippers.
Undeniably, the club has a plethora of talented, veteran players ready for the all-out war, and he knows that availability is the key to win the greatest prize.
The Clippers had an uphill climb last 2021-2022 due to injuries of their key personnel, and this new basketball year provides optimism for another emergence on their side.
“We got nine, 10 guys that can be starters on other teams and to have them all on one team is really big especially throughout the course of the season,” Powell said. “We showed last year that with injuries and things, guys can step up and play big minutes, but if everybody is healthy, it’s a real good shot to have a championship.”
