Powell to lead Raptors’ new-look second unit

Josh Lewenberg

TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO – For as long as Norman Powell has been an NBA player, it seems like there’s always been some question as to what his role would or should be.

His playing time has fluctuated throughout his five seasons in the league, he’s bounced in and out of the rotation, and alternated between starting and coming off the bench.

Even during last year’s breakout campaign, his job was ever changing. After losing an open competition with Fred VanVleet for the starting backcourt gig next to Kyle Lowry in training camp, Powell’s 52 games were evenly split between the first and second units – a function of the team’s many injuries.

However, as he gets set to begin his sixth season with the Toronto Raptors, the 27-year-old guard has a pretty good idea of how he’ll be deployed in Nick Nurse’s rotation, and he’s looking forward to finally having the stable role definition.

Four of Nurse’s starters from last season are back for 2020-21 – VanVleet, Lowry, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam – and should reprise their roles. Recently signed veteran centre Aron Baynes will likely fill the fifth spot (left vacant with the departures of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka), as Nurse confirmed on Thursday. That leaves Powell as the team’s sixth man and the captain of its revamped second unit.

It’s a position he’s familiar with and should be comfortable in – it’s the one he filled when the rotation was at, or relatively close to, full strength last season and then throughout the playoffs.

The difference is that without Ibaka – a prominent member of those bench lineups from a year ago – Powell moves up the hierarchy. The Raptors view him as more of a sixth starter than a reserve – a player that should exceed 30 minutes per contest for the first time in his career (he logged just over 28 last season) and somebody that could also close games in smaller lineups.

“Me and Serge did a great job of leading that unit [last season], bringing that energy when we needed to,” said Powell, midway through Toronto’s first week of training camp practices in Tampa. “When guys [were out], whatever happened – injuries, foul trouble, whatever it was during the season – we were able to step in and fill that role and make sure there was no drop off when that unit came in. So I see myself taking a step in that area. Obviously, I see myself taking a step in production and things like that, doing what the team needs me to do.”

Powell hopes to build on an impressive campaign that saw him nearly double his scoring average from the year prior, going from 8.6 points per game to 16.0. He shot an efficient 50 per cent from the field, also a personal-best, which included a 40-per-cent mark from three-point range.

Most notably, after years of facing criticism for a lack of consistency – understandable, given his constantly shifting role – he started to string together a series of strong performances, despite missing significant time with two serious injuries of his own.

“My whole mental approach was different when I was going through those obstacles with injuries, and [I was able to capitalize on that],” Powell said. “I was able to see things a little differently and change my whole approach, while still keeping the same work [ethic] and improving on the things I needed to improve on. This year the team looks a little different. There’s going to be more opportunity for me and I know that guys are gonna rely on me a little bit more. So I’m excited for what the upcoming season is gonna bring.”

As one of the league’s most banged-up teams in 2019-20, the Raptors’ depth played a crucial role in their success and was among the biggest reasons why they were able to exceed expectations after losing Kawhi Leonard and post the best winning percentage in franchise history.

Just about everyone on the roster cracked Nurse’s rotation and made an impact over the course of the campaign. Guys would step up and fill in when a starter went down. They would come off the bench and spark big comeback wins. It became a huge part of their identity.

With Ibaka gone – as well as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who signed with Minnesota – the second unit has undergone a bit of a makeover, but the Raptors are hoping the transition will be seamless and they know Powell is the key to making that happen. As one of the only holdovers in what should be a much younger backend of the rotation, they envision him taking on more of a leadership role with that group.

“I think that’s the biggest challenge for me this year, is how do I get the new guys coming in to have that [same] chemistry [we had last season] so we can make an impact and sustain that high level of play and competitiveness, and keep playing Raptors basketball,” said Powell. “That’s my job to make sure that everybody’s doing that.”

Towards the top of Nurse’s priority list in camp, as their December 23 season opener against New Orleans approaches, is figuring out what that second unit will look like. While the top-six guys in his rotation appear locked in, the rest of the minutes would seem to be up for grabs.

“I envision a second unit this year that plays really active,” Nurse said on Thursday. “I think you'll see a lot of cutting, moving and passing, and the offence will be generating the shots for a number of people rather than a certain player generating the shots, if that makes any sense.”

Nurse has indicated that he would like to solidify a regular seventh and eighth man heading into the season, rather than keeping those end-of-the-rotation spots fluid, as he did for most of last year. He’s also suggested that the player or players who earn a regular role are going to be the ones that stand out for their work on both ends of the court.

“I just think that it gives somebody a chance to probably improve more,” he said. “Obviously, you get locked into those roles, get those minutes and you kind of figure out different matchups, different game plans, things you got to do if you are getting those consistent minutes. That’s really it. I mean, I don’t know, I kind of did it by committee last year because that felt like the right thing to do. I just think that maybe there’s a chance for somebody to grab that spot, not let go of it and run with it a little bit and improve a lot between now and the end of the year.”

In the backcourt, rookie point guard Malachi Flynn – the 29th-overall pick in last month’s draft – is making a strong case for himself.

“He’s been very, very good,” Nurse said. “Very, very good. He’s got a great head for the game, kind of a baller, really knows how to play, understands a lot out there and he’s got some fearlessness to him. He’s got a shooting component, he’s got a finishing component to his offence. And, yeah, there’s a chance we could use him this year.”

Nurse’s stated preference is to bring young guys along slowly, while leaning on the veteran players he knows and trusts early in the season. However, he missed having a third point guard in the rotation last year. That Flynn has been a quick study, and could help take some of the burden off Lowry and VanVleet, works in his favour.

Patrick McCaw is being eased into camp after missing time with a nagging knee injury last season but is a known Nurse favourite and brings the type of defensive activity that the head coach is looking for from that position. If he’s healthy, it’s not hard to see Nurse entrusting him with regular playing time again. Matt Thomas remains one of the NBA’s best shooters but still has to prove he can defend well enough to stay on the court and be more than a situational player in this league.

Sophomore Terence Davis is the wild card. The undrafted 23-year-old had a strong first season, earning him a spot on the league’s all-rookie second team. However, thanks in large part to his defensive lapses, he fell out of the rotation in the playoffs. His pending legal issues complicate things further. He has a virtual court appearance scheduled for Friday and is expected to be with the team in Charlotte for Saturday’s exhibition opener, but it remains to be seen how he’ll be utilized this season.

On the wing, former Atlanta Hawks forward DeAndre’ Bembry, Stanley Johnson – who was mostly disappointing with the Raptors last season, but showed some promise in the bubble – and perhaps two-way player Paul Watson Jr. will push for minutes.

Behind Baynes in the frontcourt, recently re-signed big man Chris Boucher figures to play an expanded role. At his size, the question is whether his playing time will be matchup dependent – deferring to seven-footer Alex Len against bigger teams – or if he can hold his own versus traditional centres.

If last season was any indication, each of the aforementioned reserves should get their opportunity at some point. However, Nurse has the next couple weeks – and three pre-season games – to determine who will fill those roles next to Powell in the second unit to open the campaign.