"Think it’s BS" - Clippers' Norman Powell rants over 6MOY snub for 2nd year in a row
LA Clippers guard Norman Powell was upset when he was not named a finalist for NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Norman Powell was left off the final list of three. Powell was beat out by Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk, Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis.
Powell is unhappy with the snub. He made the comments in a media conference on Tuesday.
“I think it’s BS, to be honest,” Powell said. “ I am playing with four HOFers, limited touches. I think it sucks. But at the end of the day, main focus is to win a championship”
Powell was in the top five on odds boards to win the award for most of the season. He never got the narrative built around him for the award outside of LA.
Monk is the favorite to win the award and has led the pack for the majority of the season. His late-season injury created opportunities for other hopefuls. Portis took advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo's and other Bucks injuries to boost his profile in the final month of the season.
Reid carried a larger load when Karl Anthony-Towns went down. Reid even moved into the starting lineup at times.
Powell got some help when his fellow bench scorer Russell Westbrook was injured for a brief time. His off-the-bench production was still not enough. The two may have damaged each other’s chances to win the award by taking touches from each other.
LA Clippers guard Norman Powell was solid as the top bench scorer for the Clippers despite their loaded starting lineup, including Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Powell averaged 13.9 points per game this season, despite often being the fourth or fifth scoring option on a given night for LA. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer for the season, despite only starting three games.
He shot a career high 43.5 percent from 3-point range. He also shot 48.6 percent from the field and 83.1 percent from the free throw line. He filled the gaps when one of the four veteran stars was out injured this season.
Powell scored at least 20 points 13 times this season. That includes a season-high 26 points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 10.
Clippers guard Norman Powell struggles in Game 1
Powell saw his production shrink during Game 1 of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. He scored just five points in 30 minutes.
However, the Clippers did not require many 3-pointers from Powell, as the rest of the team went 17-of-35 from behind the arc. However, the award does not factor in the postseason.