The Trail Blazers’ deadline deal to acquire Norman Powell from the Raptors is a natural fit and his arrival has boosted Portland’s profile in short order. The departure of promising third-year guard Gary Trent Jr. stings, but Powell’s near-prime arsenal of offensive moves fits neatly on Damian Lillard’s win-now timeline.
On Friday, The Ringer’s Dan Devine delivered an excellent deep dive into the numbers and sequences that are boosting Powell’s success in Portland. Devine highlighted how Powell has adjusted smoothly to a less-demanding role inside a now-healthy Blazers rotation.
As you might expect when going from an injury-wracked team that needed him to score in bunches to one led by two All-Star-caliber backcourt playmakers, Powell is seeing the ball a bit less in Portland than he did in Toronto.