[llperez]

just saw this site has him going 12th in the newest mock draft after this site had him floating all over the first round the past year. As a guy who has watched him these past 3 years, im a little bit surprised to see him ranked that high. Personally i think he is more likely to go in the 20’s and not even a lock for the first round, but it is way early. One thing is for certain, with anderson, adams and lavine all leaving early, powell should get 30+ minutes and all the freedom he wants on the wing so we will get to see if he is legit or not.

Here is my breakdown of him. First ill get the stats out of the way

25.7mpg…11.4ppg…2.8rpg…1.7apg…53%fg…29%3pt

He is a 6-4 sg who is an inconsistent shooter who has shown no improvements on his perimeter jumper in 3 years. It’s not broken, but not a strength either. He is a poor ball handler and plays out of control at times. He tries to attack the rim in transition whenever there is a chance which leads to both highlight finishes and untimely turnovers/poor shots. He is also one of the best defenders and toughest all around players i have seen at ucla on par with russell westbrook in those regards and thats not hyperbole. Im not saying he is gonna be westbrook, but in terms of defense and toughness from a gaurd, he is right there. He was the teams one lockdown defender last year and if he is gonna be a lotto pick, it will be because of what he brings at that end. He was also the teams second best athlete behind lavine. He easily finishes above the rim, but unlike lavine who had a soft effortless dunking style, powell is an in your face tear the rim down style, he doesnt have the hang time lavine had but his athleticism is more like a running back hitting the hole while lavine was the finesse downfield wr threat.
He was fantastic getting out in the open court and getting easy baskets in transition. But in halfcourt sets, he was an afterthought and never had any plays ran for him. It will be interesting seeing if he can make that leap to being the man this year. here are some pics for those who are unfamiliar with him.

[llperez]

 this site has him going lotto while that other site has him going undrafted. This might be an interesting one to remember down the road for bragging rights to see who was right.

[llperez]

 this site has him going lotto while that other site has him going undrafted. This might be an interesting one to remember down the road for bragging rights to see who was right.

[TRC1991Participant]

I tell ya, if basketball doesn’t work out for Norman Powell – I can think of a few NFL teams who could use a safety like him 

[TRC1991Participant]

I tell ya, if basketball doesn’t work out for Norman Powell – I can think of a few NFL teams who could use a safety like him 

[Jco4Participant]

With Adams, Anderson and LaVine off to the NBA, Powell is now the go to guy for the UCLA backcourt so expect to see some plays run for him. I think he can go somewhere mid-late in the first round and I’d expect not just Powell’s but also Bryce Alford’s numbers to jump. Don’t underestimate how much Adams and Anderson did for UCLA last year!

[Jco4Participant]

With Adams, Anderson and LaVine off to the NBA, Powell is now the go to guy for the UCLA backcourt so expect to see some plays run for him. I think he can go somewhere mid-late in the first round and I’d expect not just Powell’s but also Bryce Alford’s numbers to jump. Don’t underestimate how much Adams and Anderson did for UCLA last year!

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

Wait, I thought he didn’t have any plays run for him last year? Now he’s the go-to guy? Wouldn’t UCLA’s new freshmen be more technically go-to guys while Powell continues to be a stud glue type guy.

That seems to be the draw with Powell oddly enough is his role playing potential. He’s not going to be a guy who you draw up plays for, rather he will contribute in transition, off cuts, hustle stuff and slashing off reversals, while playing strong defense. Kinda sounds like Tony Allen. He kinda looks like Tony Allen actually.

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

Wait, I thought he didn’t have any plays run for him last year? Now he’s the go-to guy? Wouldn’t UCLA’s new freshmen be more technically go-to guys while Powell continues to be a stud glue type guy.

That seems to be the draw with Powell oddly enough is his role playing potential. He’s not going to be a guy who you draw up plays for, rather he will contribute in transition, off cuts, hustle stuff and slashing off reversals, while playing strong defense. Kinda sounds like Tony Allen. He kinda looks like Tony Allen actually.

[Author]

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