The Miami Heat's offense has been a noticeable departure from their recent seasons and it is largely due to the strong backcourt play. The team entered the season with a numerous amount of question marks after moving on from Jimmy Butler but the team is still managing to win with their 15-13 record and their seventh place standing in the Eastern Conference.
CBS Sports released an article, highlighting nine players who could receive their first All-Star nods this season. Among those names: Heat guard Norman Powell.
"You know who could use someone with Powell's skill set? The Clippers," the article said. "Instead the Heat are putting his instant offense to good use. Powell has improved on last season's breakout campaign in LA by averaging career highs in Miami in points (24.4) and rebounds (3.7) while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3 on seven attempts per game. Powell is 32. It's rare for someone to have the best seasons of his career after turning 30, but that's what he's done the last two years."
Powell has bounced around a few teams over his decade-long career but seemed to find a home with the Los Angeles Clippers. Powell fully broke out last season with the Clippers, averaging 21.8 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range. Opposite stars such as Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in Los Angeles, Powell proved his worth as an elite scorer. However, entering his age-32 season, the Clippers felt the urge to trade him due to his expiring contract and age.
Luckily for the Heat, Powell's value on the market was in a strange position due to his contract. The team traded Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love, two veterans who presumably wouldn't have received many minutes in the Miami rotation, for the combo guard and his strong play has been the biggest story for Miami this season. The Heat have struggled with their backcourt performance, outside of Tyler Herro, for the past couple of seasons but Powell may have been the missing piece for this offense.
Powell will be a free agent this offseason but his performance this season may warrant an extension. The Heat have Terry Rozier's contract set to come off the books and should free up $25 million. If Powell earns an All-Star nod, Miami could have an important decision to make this offseason.