Norman Powell’s Knee Soreness Once Again Shows Clippers Overreliance on Dynamic Scoring

Things are going pretty well for the Clippers these days. Despite being 5-5 in their last 10, the second Los Angeles team is seven games above .500 and currently holds the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They have a solid team and are competing at a high level.

However, as their recent loss to the Bucks shows, their roster is a bit top-heavy. So much so that missing just one key piece or having one person sit out can set them back in a big way. They have a lot of stars, but suffer greatly if those stars cannot play.

That includes standout Norman Powell.

A Non-Contact Injury

Powell, who is a big reason the Clippers are in the playoff hunt, sat out the Thursday night game against Milwaukee. That’s concerning because the career journeyman is having a breakout season, averaging an impressive 24.2 points, 2.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds a contest.

Those stats make him a true offensive weapon who has really found his stride in LA. He’s playing the best basketball of his career, and was someone the Clippers really leaned on while Kawhi Leonard was out. Now, he’s become a core piece of their roster.

Losing him to the Bucks was a big blow

And something Los Angeles will monitor closely going forward. The shifty wing first popped up on the injury report due to some knee soreness and was listed as questionable. A few hours later, he was officially ruled out.

Knee soreness isn’t the worst injury, but anything related to knees can be quite scary

It’s merely a symptom, but it’s something the Clippers don’t want to mess with. Losing Powell for a few games is much better than him going down for an entire season.

His next opportunity to play is Sunday against the Pacers

A few days of rest should get him back onto the court, though it’s not out of the realm of possibility he misses another game or two. If he starts to sit after that, then the ailment might be much worse than expected.

Close, but No Cigar

Powell is not a big name like Harden or Leonard. Still, his offensive output is something the Clippers sorely need. Their starters are great and their bench is serviceable, but if too much pressure falls on Leonard and Harden, things quickly fall apart.

That’s exactly what happened against the Bucks

Los Angeles went into Milwaukee with plenty of confidence. They’ve been playing high-level basketball as of late and have had no problem against strong teams. Without Powell, however, they couldn’t finish things off.

They were down after the first half, then put up a strong 39-23 third quarter before ultimately losing the fourth and falling 116-110. It was a close game the entire way, and one that showed Powell’s importance. The hole he left was large. Try as they might, the Clippers couldn’t fill it.

A Lack of Depth

Leonard and Harden scored 25 and 24 points respectively, while center Ivica Zubac added 20 of his own. Bogdan Bogdonavic put up 15 as well. He was the only other player on the team to score in double digits. That shows just how thin the Clippers are right now.

While the Clippers can win games, they are extremely dependent on the trio of Harden, Leonard, and Powell to operate. Zubac, who averages 15.3 points, can also get the ball into the basket. However, that’s where their scoring ends.

Relying on those starters is a bit risky, especially as the season continues

The playoff race is heating up, and everything’s going to get tighter. LA will need all the points they can get, which is why losing Powell hurts so much.

Healing for the Future

A six point loss to the Bucks is not the end of the world, but it revealed how vulnerable the Clippers are without one of their big scorers. Powell is a decent defender, but his true value lies on offense. He’s put up 18 or more points in 18 straight games. That impressive mark is something even all-stars can’t achieve.

Those points are critical to the Clippers success

The Bucks loss showed that. Even a couple extra points would have put Los Angeles over the top. Losing such a strong on-ball scorer also hurt their offensive rhythm.

If Powell continues to sit, it’s possible Amir Coffey and Bogdanovic will see more play going forward

The pair might be able to pick up some of the slack, but they won’t be able to replace Powell. If his soreness doesn’t heal up soon, they could easily find themselves in the eighth, ninth, or tenth seed. That’s somewhere they don’t want to be.