Before the start of the season, when Norman Powell was asked about the exits of Paul George and Russell Westbrook from the LA Clippers roster, he said they were “addition by subtraction”. It was a loaded comment that suggested their departure would be good for some players, including him. It seemed absurd, and rude at the time. Not anymore. The 31-year-old is having a career season so far, posting All-Star-caliber numbers.
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George, who joined the Philadelphia 76ers, had an interesting take on his former teammate’s comment.
“I didn’t take [Powell’s comments on Media Day] as a diss. It’s true. Me going gives other guys an opportunity. And hopefully. he continues this [level of] play because he’s balling his a*s off, he looks great, he’s super efficient. And they need him to do what he’s doing right now or [the Clippers] don’t have a chance,” George said on the latest episode of Podcast P.
After the departure of George and Westbrook, who joined the Denver Nuggets, the consensus was that the team’s production load will fall on Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. However, Leonard is yet to play a game this season, and Harden hasn’t found his form as a scorer. Despite that, the Clippers are 6-6, largely due to Powell’s exceptional performance.
The guard is averaging a career-high 24.9 points on 50.5% shooting, including an exceptional 49.5% from beyond the arc. Powell’s 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game are also the highest in his career. He knew this was coming.
Powell unsurprised about his exceptional form
Earlier this week, Powell was asked whether he had anticipated he’d be the team’s leading scorer when he commented about George and Westbrook’s exits during the off-season. He responded:
“I expected it from myself. The work that I’ve put in, and my belief, it was always for this… I know a lot of people outside are surprised or shocked, but this has been on my mind… I know it’s a shock to a lot of people, but to me it’s just another day of me… reaping the benefits of all my hard work.”
The guard isn’t the only player who has benefitted from the duo’s exit. Center Ivica Zubac has been getting more scoring opportunities, and he is making them count. Zubac is averaging 16.2 points per game after putting up only 11.7 last season. Guard Amir Coffey’s increased playing time has improved his production across the board.
These players wouldn’t have had as many touches on the offensive end, or as much game time, had George and Westbrook been around. In hindsight, Powell’s take was spot on.
