Norman Powell has experienced plenty of ups and downs throughout his career and wasn't bothered by the challenges lately with the Miami Heat.
It's no secret that the Miami Heat faced a devastating dropoff after starting the season on a fantastic note. At one point, they had a 12-6 record and were among the best in the Eastern Conference standings. However, travesty struck after losing nine out of 11 games. It appeared as though the fast-paced, high-scoring offense had hit a wall; the defense wasn't meeting the organization's standard.
It's worth noting that in the midst of adversity, the response from a team is what defines them. Afterwards, the Heat are currently riding a three-game winning streak, and the return of Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson from their respective injuries. The offense was clicking once again and the defensive effort was finally showing.
Also, another big factor in the Heat's resurgence has been Norman Powell. The veteran guard is on pace to surpass last year's career numbers, currently averaging 23.8 points, four rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range. The 32-year-old has a great opportunity to be named an All-Star, especially after receiving 100,390 votes in the league's first return among Eastern Conference players.
Powell enters his 11th season in the league and isn't new to adversity during an 82-game season. It was certainly familiar towards the end of his tenure with the Toronto Raptors.
"It's just the highs and lows," he said. "Every team I've been on goes through it. It's part of the season, but I love this team and the way we have our mentality tied together, trying to figure it out, going through the tough times together, talking, communicating, just trying to get back on the right core, and get these wins. I think we've figured it out. Just the play style, the mentality, and the approach that we have to have on a nightly basis. We can't get bored with the process and going out there, competing every single night."
For what it's worth, the Heat should go through these rough patches now, when it's still relatively early in the regular season, rather than later when playoff seeding begins to play a big factor. Teams need to peak at the right moment because in some cases, it's the difference between success and failure.
The Eastern Conference is still "wide open," as the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are the only ones with a big gap from the rest of the pack. There's plenty of ground for the Heat to make up and start trending in the right direction.
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