TL;DR
- Norman Powell is exceeding expectations for the Miami Heat, averaging 25.4 points.
- Powell's acquisition from the Los Angeles Clippers is proving to be a significant win.
- His performance has kept the Heat offense in the top 10 despite injuries.
- Powell's success signals a strong playoff contender status for the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat implemented significant changes during the 2025 offseason, and these moves have proven beneficial thus far.
Upon acquiring Norman Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers via trade, Miami likely anticipated him becoming a high-potential role player within their system, yet he's far exceeding those initial projections.
Across 12 contests, he's scoring an average of 25.4 points per game with a 49.5% field goal percentage, plus four boards and 2.5 assists.
The Heat are seeing positive returns from The Norman Powell trade.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps wrote a piece regarding what he's hearing around the NBA on all 30 teams, and for the Heat, he's hearing nothing but positive things about Powell.
"There's been plenty of discussion about Miami's new offensive system, but no one has taken to it more than Powell. When the Clippers chose not to extend him this past summer and sent him to Miami in a three-team deal that saw the Heat land him for almost nothing, it was seen as a win-win for both sides," wrote Bontemps.
"But even the most optimistic Heat partisans would have had a hard time envisioning how Powell has taken to life on the shores of Biscayne Bay, where he's averaging a career-high 25.5 points on an absurd 46% from 3 and has kept Miami in the top 10 on offense with Tyler Herro yet to play this season and Bam Adebayo missing a good chunk of it."
Powell's performance has contributed to Miami's strong start as a playoff contender in the 2025-26 season.
When Tyler Herro is back in action and Bam Adebayo is fully recovered, the league will be alerted.
More Heat news:
- Bill Simmons' trade idea lands Heat disgruntled star point guard
- Heat All-Star Tyler Herro linked to Western Conference team by NBA analyst
- Heat’s Norman Powell says he will provide leadership to second-year center
- Heat’s Bam Adebayo’s MRI reveals left big toe injury, status is day-to-day
- Heat star $120 million guard could be traded to west when he recovers from injury