Everything Norman Powell

[MixxAOR]

Norm used to be so wildly inconsistent. He'd have a great moment, then a really dumb one. That stopped happening for the most part last season. Fred has taken that role card for some reason now (ugh).

But the problem with Norm was that unfortunately for him, I don't think he's going to be a member of our core past this season. He might if we lose out on Giannis but even then I think Masai will hope he opts out or trades him at the deadline so he doesn't have to worry about it. Norm's contract is in the way for the max free agent roster spot.

So I want him to do well to up his trade value.. but that's a sad thing to say. He's our most potent offensive player off the bench. And that's with TD in the mix who may not actually be on the team if he's found guilty.

Problem with Norm was also injuries. Kept happening to him for some reason.

[S.R.]

Norm used to be so wildly inconsistent. He'd have a great moment, then a really dumb one. That stopped happening for the most part last season. Fred has taken that role card for some reason now (ugh).

But the problem with Norm was that unfortunately for him, I don't think he's going to be a member of our core past this season. He might if we lose out on Giannis but even then I think Masai will hope he opts out or trades him at the deadline so he doesn't have to worry about it. Norm's contract is in the way for the max free agent roster spot.

So I want him to do well to up his trade value.. but that's a sad thing to say. He's our most potent offensive player off the bench. And that's with TD in the mix who may not actually be on the team if he's found guilty.

For sure. Realistically, as you develop guys you normally end up with 2-4 that you can really pay on a very good team. Everybody else has to fit in around that - skill-wise and contract-wise. The Raptors have been deep but Ibaka and Gasol hit that reality this offseason and Norm's day of reckoning is likely coming up next. By then you need Fred/Siakam/OG/Free Agent to be very, very good and you fit in the other pieces. Could very well be Davis/Thomas/Flynn by then, though Nurse really wants it to be McCaw.

Still, expecting a very good year for Norm this season. He did settle down consistency-wise last year, was a little bit off just right at the start iirc then was in a good groove after that.

[planetmars]

Norm used to be so wildly inconsistent. He'd have a great moment, then a really dumb one. That stopped happening for the most part last season. Fred has taken that role card for some reason now (ugh).

But the problem with Norm was that unfortunately for him, I don't think he's going to be a member of our core past this season. He might if we lose out on Giannis but even then I think Masai will hope he opts out or trades him at the deadline so he doesn't have to worry about it. Norm's contract is in the way for the max free agent roster spot.

So I want him to do well to up his trade value.. but that's a sad thing to say. He's our most potent offensive player off the bench. And that's with TD in the mix who may not actually be on the team if he's found guilty.

[G__Deane]

I have lots of time for Norm, he's great value. Having said that, this is the season for him to really step up with production and more importantly, consistency.

[S.R.]

Since Norman W.C. Powell gets almost no love here in his own thread, I'm just here to remind the world Norman Powell was looking pretty damn good last year and has still been getting better year over year. Man had doubled his ppg and was shooting 40% from deep on good usage (5 3PA).

Thanks again Milwaukee for OG and Norm Powell! Giannis sure could use guys like these on the wing. lollllllllllllllllllllllll

Don't sleep on these Raptors. Lowry/Fred/Norm/OG/Siakam is a strong, strong core.

[slaw]

Twisting numbers is what DanH does best.

I get what you're saying. Bubble ball or not, Pascal played basketball games on a regulation basketball court, just like everybody else. There is a reason to be concerned here about his basketball skills - especially since he's a max player now. And that concern is: what if opposition teams now have a "book" on how to guard Pascal, especially in the playoffs? It's part of a trend we saw in the regular season against better defenses (e.g. Boston) and it became more pronounced in the playoffs and then painfully acute against an elite defense, like the Celtics.

1) Get back in transition
2) Put a long, athletic defender on him in the half-court.
3) Have a second defender waiting on his spin move and exploit his weak handle.

You don't see teams sprinting back in transition in the regular season, but you saw even the lowly Nets do that in the bubble, because it was the playoffs.

That said, I'm still perplexed why we didn't see more Lowry + Siakam pick & roll. That was supposed to be the secret weapon we were going to unleash in the playoffs to unlock the half-court offense. Instead, we saw a steady diet of Lowry & FVV playing your-turn / my-turn keep away.... reminiscent of the Lowry-DeRozan Ride or Die offense.

Regardless, Pascal really needs to work on that handle. It's not even remotely close to where it needs to be for a first option.

Siakam was badly misused by the coaching staff in the bubble. He was asked to do things he could not do and his strengths were ignored. For whatever reason, they tried to turn him into Kawhi Leonard forgetting that he is a power forward who does big man stuff. Part of that was on him settling for the mid-post when he needed to fight much harder to get on the block but the insistence on using him in isolation on the perimeter and the mid-post was maddening. Hopefully, that gets adjusted this year.

[DogeLover1234]

Twisting numbers is what DanH does best.

I get what you're saying. Bubble ball or not, Pascal played basketball games on a regulation basketball court, just like everybody else. There is a reason to be concerned here about his basketball skills - especially since he's a max player now. And that concern is: what if opposition teams now have a "book" on how to guard Pascal, especially in the playoffs? It's part of a trend we saw in the regular season against better defenses (e.g. Boston) and it became more pronounced in the playoffs and then painfully acute against an elite defense, like the Celtics.

1) Get back in transition
2) Put a long, athletic defender on him in the half-court.
3) Have a second defender waiting on his spin move and exploit his weak handle.

You don't see teams sprinting back in transition in the regular season, but you saw even the lowly Nets do that in the bubble, because it was the playoffs.

That said, I'm still perplexed why we didn't see more Lowry + Siakam pick & roll. That was supposed to be the secret weapon we were going to unleash in the playoffs to unlock the half-court offense. Instead, we saw a steady diet of Lowry & FVV playing your-turn / my-turn keep away.... reminiscent of the Lowry-DeRozan Ride or Die offense.

Regardless, Pascal really needs to work on that handle. It's not even remotely close to where it needs to be for a first option.

Agreed. Especially regarding Lowry + Pascal PnR - even with Fred wouldve been much more effective than Lowry/Fred + Big or straight Pascal iso. Pascal thrives in regular season basketball atm, and his playoff play was concerning. I will add that it very well could just be part of his development curve - thats what this season is going to be about.

[G__Deane]

That guy's toasted. I don't see him recovering from the injuries he's plagued with.

He's supposed to be back to basketball activities in January but you could be right, maybe the Yao Ming big man plague

[RandomGuy]

Did Porzingis get traded?

That guy's toasted. I don't see him recovering from the injuries he's plagued with.

[G__Deane]

Giannis won't be overkill. We will need that caliber player if we want to beat KD/Kyrie, Lebron/AD, KL/PG (washed but history shows he can do a 180), Steph/Klay, Doncic/? (they will get someone to assist him) you need that second player to beat these teams, Lowry is going to drop off sooner than later and Fred will have his playoff struggles as he hasn't found his consistency yet due to his size limitations and defense adjusted to exploit that.

Did Porzingis get traded?

[golden]

Dont get it twisted dude

Twisting numbers is what DanH does best.

I get what you're saying. Bubble ball or not, Pascal played basketball games on a regulation basketball court, just like everybody else. There is a reason to be concerned here about his basketball skills - especially since he's a max player now. And that concern is: what if opposition teams now have a "book" on how to guard Pascal, especially in the playoffs? It's part of a trend we saw in the regular season against better defenses (e.g. Boston) and it became more pronounced in the playoffs and then painfully acute against an elite defense, like the Celtics.

1) Get back in transition
2) Put a long, athletic defender on him in the half-court.
3) Have a second defender waiting on his spin move and exploit his weak handle.

You don't see teams sprinting back in transition in the regular season, but you saw even the lowly Nets do that in the bubble, because it was the playoffs.

That said, I'm still perplexed why we didn't see more Lowry + Siakam pick & roll. That was supposed to be the secret weapon we were going to unleash in the playoffs to unlock the half-court offense. Instead, we saw a steady diet of Lowry & FVV playing your-turn / my-turn keep away.... reminiscent of the Lowry-DeRozan Ride or Die offense.

Regardless, Pascal really needs to work on that handle. It's not even remotely close to where it needs to be for a first option.

[RandomGuy]

Whatever the reason for the poor bubble play, i think its fair to have doubts about his ability to be a #1 offensive option. That was his first go at it, so i do expect some improvement and i will be delighted if he gets there. We'll know enough when this season is over. But if pascal gets to that point, damn this team wont need to add much to be a perennial contender. Giannis would almost be overkill, but you certainly dont abandon the pursuit. With giannis, OG, FVV, and a fully capable pascal as an efficient #1...look out league.

Giannis won't be overkill. We will need that caliber player if we want to beat KD/Kyrie, Lebron/AD, KL/PG (washed but history shows he can do a 180), Steph/Klay, Doncic/? (they will get someone to assist him) you need that second player to beat these teams, Lowry is going to drop off sooner than later and Fred will have his playoff struggles as he hasn't found his consistency yet due to his size limitations and defense adjusted to exploit that.

[JawsGT]

It's perfectly fair to have doubts. What's not fair is pretending the bubble was a fair representation of his abilities therein.

Heck, I have serious doubts he can be a top 5 type guy. Of course we do! There are only ever 5 of those guys! But that does not equate to thinking the bubble represents his future as the lead scorer on a team.

Dont get it twisted dude

[DanH]

Whatever the reason for the poor bubble play, i think its fair to have doubts about his ability to be a #1 offensive option. That was his first go at it, so i do expect some improvement and i will be delighted if he gets there. We'll know enough when this season is over. But if pascal gets to that point, damn this team wont need to add much to be a perennial contender. Giannis would almost be overkill, but you certainly dont abandon the pursuit. With giannis, OG, FVV, and a fully capable pascal as an efficient #1...look out league.

It's perfectly fair to have doubts. What's not fair is pretending the bubble was a fair representation of his abilities therein.

Heck, I have serious doubts he can be a top 5 type guy. Of course we do! There are only ever 5 of those guys! But that does not equate to thinking the bubble represents his future as the lead scorer on a team.

[JawsGT]

Whatever the reason for the poor bubble play, i think its fair to have doubts about his ability to be a #1 offensive option. That was his first go at it, so i do expect some improvement and i will be delighted if he gets there. We'll know enough when this season is over. But if pascal gets to that point, damn this team wont need to add much to be a perennial contender. Giannis would almost be overkill, but you certainly dont abandon the pursuit. With giannis, OG, FVV, and a fully capable pascal as an efficient #1...look out league.