Column: Lincoln High School’s Norman Powell plays way into NBA’s sixth-man award conversation

LOS ANGELES — 

Understanding how Lincoln High’s Norman Powell became one of the most dependable bench pieces in the NBA requires a bit of basic knowledge of his personal brand of cartography.

When the ball is in play in the NBA, with some of the world’s best athletes encircling the Clippers’ spark plug, where decisions that trigger multi-million-dollar contracts are measured in fractions of a second, Powell follows a detailed map.

Not on parchment. In his head.

Clippers’ Norman Powell gets a game ball from Chuck The Condor after scoring 27 points against the Mavericks.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

He’s pinpointed locations. He’s drawn up the angles. He’s diagrammed forks in the road from baseline to baseline. He’s worked on how to navigate screens and use back cuts to be where he needs to be, when he needs to be there.

Mastering those mental road maps has made Powell a leading contender the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

“Just getting to my ‘comfort spots’ where I’m most efficient,” said Powell, when asked about the key to his unique offensive efficiency. “Corner shots. Corner 3s. In transition, getting to the rim. In the pick and roll, get into my mid-range or to the basket or a floater.

Clippers’ Norman Powell slam dunks against the Mavericks.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“Knowing wherever the defense is, so I can get to one of those spots on the floor.”

Repetition and work, not random athletic chance, has positioned Powell to keep finding his offense on a deep team led by superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Mining as much as possible from limited minutes plops him among the game’s top sixth-man contenders. The favorite, according to Las Vegas, is Russell Westbrook of the Lakers. Jordan Poole (Warriors), Malcolm Brogdon (Celtics) and Powell chasing.

Clippers’ Norman Powell, center, watches a replay with teammates Brandon Boston Jr., left, and Paul George.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Since Nov. 7, Powell ranks first in points per game off the bench (17.7). He’s one of four non-starters with multiple 30-point games. In a Nov. 29 game at Portland, he scored 32 points with 22 coming in the final quarter — the most fourth-quarter points by a Clippers player since 1996-97.

“Our guys do a good job playing through him, making sure when he’s on the floor he touches the basketball,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before a game against the Mavericks last Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. “He’s one guy who can get downhill, get to the basket, mid-range, pull ups and he can make the 3-point shot and get to the free-throw line.

Clippers’ Norman Powell, left, warms up with teammate Kawhi Leonard before a game.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“He’s very efficient when he comes into the game.”

Asked to make the case for Powell’s sixth-man candidacy, the coach pointed to the team’s record, which now stands at 23-22.

“We’ve got to start winning some games first and it’ll come,” Lue said.

Those mental maps include who, as well as where.

“Reading what the defense is giving me,” said Powell, 29, who is under contract for three seasons after this one. “And it’s positioning. A lot of my corner 3s come off somebody’s penetration in transition. Especially when (guard) John (Wall) has the ball. He puts so much pressure getting downhill with kickout passes. I need to make sure I’m in the corner.”

Clippers’ Norman Powell, left, and Kawhi Leonard stand for the national anthem before playing Dallas.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Powell flashed his point-scoring versatility last week versus the Mavericks.

After starting 0 for 2 from the field, he hit all six of his second-quarter shots. He drained 3s from both wings and the top of the key. He dunked on Luka Doncic, a contender for the player of the year. He attacked the rim for a basket, at 6-3, against 7-footer JaVale McGee.

Powell, who averages 15.6 points per game, finished with 27 in the 113-101 victory.

Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell signs autographs after a win against the Dallas Mavericks.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Flying a tad under the radar is not new for Powell, even though Leonard and he shared the NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019. A slice of that radar-chasing was explained in a May 25, 2022, tweet by Basketball Reference, which showed him sandwiched in a who’s-who list among leaders for points per 48 minutes played.

Though it’s just a snapshot — a moment in NBA time — regular-season, Finals and All-Star Game MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led the group at 43.6. Joel Embiid, who finished as the 2021-22 scoring champ, was next (43.3). Then came Powell (41.1), ahead of Ja Morant and some guy named LeBron James.

Always there. Always productive.

“If it happens, great. But if it doesn’t, that’s not my main focus,” Powell said of the building sixth-man buzz. “Hopefully at the end we win a championship and sixth man of the year would just be icing on top.”

Powell, who is making more than $16.7 million this season with pay raises that push him north of $20.5 million by the end of 2025-26, said the work to remain a key cog never slows.

To begin the offseason, he goes through three workouts a day, five days a week. He increases that to six days halfway through the summer.

Even traveling to the locker room after pregame shootarounds is sweat inducing. Powell runs from the court at an all-out sprint that alarms many who have not seen it before.

Norman Powell, waving to fans before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before for the Padres on Sept. 22 at Petco Park, has become one of the best bench scorers in the NBA.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“That started my second year, just something I did with the security guys in Toronto,” he said. “They’d clear the hall for me and I’d do a quick dash to the locker room. I just stayed with it. It was just a fun little thing I did after my shooting time. It just became my routine. I do it every time.”

Is the manic dash wise?

“I’m pretty safe,” Powell said. “I wait for everybody to clear and then do my thing. There’s been a few times where I have to do a little breakdown and cut. You have to slow down. I’ve stumbled a few times, but I try to be as safe as possible.”

Then again, Powell knows the route … like any good map maker.