NBA players, be it era-defining or era-defying stars to journeymen, have one thing in common: They have all excelled in the game and its physical demands to make the cut in basketball’s biggest stage. Regardless of how good they are, the harsh reality is that not every player will be able to be a star.
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In an exclusive interview with The SportsRush‘s Nickeem Khan, Rashad McCants highlighted how the business model and ownership priorities have a role to play in how a player’s career progresses, especially if it involves late-blooming. He illustrated it by citing Norman Powell’s journey.
For the majority of his career, Powell has been a role player. In his six-year tenure with the Toronto Raptors (2015-21), he was a two-way spark plug off the bench. He eventually developed into a dependable scorer, but not enough numbers to attain star status. His 2023-24 season’s production, playing with the Los Angeles Clippers, was just 13.9 points per game.
This changed in the 2024-25 season once Paul George left the Clippers. The void resulted in an opportunity for Powell, which he took advantage of.
The 6-foot-3 guard went on to average 21.9 points on the season. Now, as a member of the Miami Heat, Powell has improved his production even more. Through 41 games with the Heat, Powell is averaging a career-high 23.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Powell’s numbers have pushed him into All-Star conversations. A potential All-Star selection would make the 32-year-old one of the oldest first-time All-Stars in NBA history. However, despite his stellar performance, Powell is not bigger than the business of basketball. McCants reiterated that while talking about how ownership could hamper Powell’s future.
“Norman is such a rare commodity in the NBA,” McCants said. “Potential All-Star guy, got it out of the mud.
The former guard is surprised at how Powell has stepped up his game. Wasn’t ever considering him to be a guy that could be a 25-26 points per game player. Now you have to look at a situation where all the owners are looking at his position as, do we want players thinking they can be like him?” added McCants.
Typically, once a player falls into a role, that doesn’t change throughout their career. Of course, there are a few exceptions.
Kawhi Leonard, for instance, entered the league as a defensive specialist before developing into a star. However, Leonard was still young when he showed glimpses of stardom. That allowed the San Antonio Spurs to pour more resources into his development.
Powell doesn’t have the fountain of youth on his side. Regardless, if he continues to produce at this rate, he will command a hefty payday. But that may not be in the best interest of owners across the league.
“Do we want more guys thinking that they can come up in the ranks and have a position to play as a role player, and they get big-time money? Now that’s money out of the owner’s pockets, double time,” McCants continued.
Powell isn’t the only player in this category. The Denver Nuggets will have a difficult decision to make regarding Peyton Watson. The fourth-year forward has shown flashes of stardom in the absence of Nikola Jokic. Since the three-time MVP has gone down, Watson is averaging 23.1 points and 6.3 rebounds on 50.5% shooting from the field.
It’s quite a dilemma considering Watson was barely a double-digit scorer before Jokic’s injury. However, he has taken advantage of this opportunity just like Powell did in Miami.
McCants understands quite well how the business of the NBA works. He wouldn’t be surprised if the owners act accordingly to ensure this production doesn’t continue for players like Powell.
“I think that when you look at that particular propaganda, you would say the owners would be against it, and that Norman Powell will be regulated back to a situation where Miami picks up a star player. Or they move him to another team that would automatically subject him to playing a role,” McCants proclaimed.
The Heat have been connected to plenty of stars who are on the trade market, including Ja Morant. So if Morant were to come to Miami, everyone is aware that Powell will have to take a step back. If that were the case, that would result in his production dropping, subsequently leading to his next contract not being as lucrative as it could’ve been.
This is the harsh truth of the NBA, which is a business before anything else. Hopefully for Powell’s sake, he happens to be an outlier and won’t suffer the fate that McCants envisions in the near future.
