Norman Powell didn’t bother sugarcoating his feelings about the Los Angeles Clippers’ collapse. After cooking his former team for 30 points in the Miami Heat’s 140-123 win, Powell was asked about the Clippers’ stunning 5-16 start. He had an honest but blunt response.
“I would have never guessed they were gonna be 5-16 and where they’re at right now. That’s something for them to have to deal with and handle. I’m not worried about them anymore.”
And to be fair to Powell, why would he care about the Clippers? He has moved on and is playing the best basketball of his life.
The 32-year-old guard was traded in the offseason in a three-team deal that sent him to Miami, John Collins to the Clippers, and Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson to the Jazz.
At the time, the trade raised questions as Powell was one of the Clippers’ best players and had just had a career year. He averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.8% from 3-point range, and was one of the consistent scorers on a roster that was hammered by injuries.
The Clippers believed Collins would give them more athleticism in the frontcourt. Instead, they lost a versatile scorer at the wing and added a player who hasn’t provided close to the same impact. Collins is averaging just 12 points and 4.9 rebounds, and the Clippers’ offense has cratered without Powell’s creation and spacing.
Meanwhile, Powell has exploded in Miami. He’s averaging 25.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting a blistering 50.9 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from three. His fit in Erik Spoelstra’s offense has been seamless. He moves without the ball, punishes switches, and gives Miami exactly what they’ve been missing the last few seasons: an elite scorer behind Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
It’s no surprise Spoelstra said the Heat had been eyeing Powell for a long time. He plays like a perfect Miami player. Tough, skilled, efficient, and unbothered by pressure.
The Clippers, on the other hand, are spiraling. They’ve lost five straight, have the second-worst record in the West, and sit 20th in offensive rating and 27th in defensive rating. They were pegged as a sleeper team before the season. Instead, they look disconnected and uninspired, and losing Powell has clearly hurt more than they expected.
Powell’s comments weren’t a shot. They were a reminder that sometimes teams misjudge how valuable a player is until he’s gone. The Clippers bet on a new direction, and they’re paying for it now. Powell bet on himself, and he’s thriving, playing like a first-time All-Star and potentially setting himself up for a massive payday next summer.
He shouldn’t be. Not when he’s playing the best basketball of his career and the Heat are rolling, while the Clippers are left asking themselves how everything fell apart so fast.
