Norman Powell has had a rough 2017-18 season so far, to say the least. This article outlines just how much he's struggled so far, along with how he's going to work out of it.

As September slowly turned into October, the NBA pre-season in full swing. You were probably exhausted from staying up until 3:00 am to watch the Clippers and Raptors duke it out in Hawaii. Amidst the pre-season excitement came yet another footnote.

The Toronto Raptors have inked Norman Powell to a hefty 4-year, $42-million-dollar extension.

Fans had mixed emotions about this event. Some thought it was a just price, and most non-Raptors fans found it to be a gross overpay. I, for one, defended Norman to the hilt.

It’s too early to say I’m wrong, and it’s too early to say that Norman’s naysayers were right. As of now, we’re just over a third of our way through this ever-so-wild NBA season.

Let's analyze Norman Powell's slump thus far.

A Rough Patch for Our Norman

Norman Powell is a freak athlete - no doubt about it. His verticality and explosiveness can match almost any guard in this league - even his fellow UCLA alumni Westbrook and Lavine. On a pure test of raw athletic power, Norm is surely elite.

But our Norman has hit a skid. His numbers have depreciated and the Raps have had issues finding lineups with Norman that have success. There are a few reasons for that.

Getting Defensive with Norm

His defense hasn’t been bad, per se, but he hasn’t made that leap into a lockdown defender that some Raps’ fans may have been expecting. When rookie Norman played some impressive defense on Paul George in the 2016 Raps/Pacers series, his defensive ceiling was raised tenfold; which may have been a curse in disguise.

His defensive ability has been ushered towards defending opposing guards. He often gets exploited by larger wing players who can muscle their way into prime low post position. Guys like Otto Porter, Jaylen Brown, Andrew Wiggins (random examples) can have their way with the smaller Norm, leaving the Toronto defense in shambles once the bigger wing can get a post touch.

His overall struggles stem from one issue in particular; scoring. My dream for Norman is to be an efficient wing 3 and D guy, but neither of the two has looked particularly impressive in the year thus far; notably his scoring.

Nitpicking Norman’s Numbers

Let’s do a little not-so-fun recap of Norman’s numbers this year (so far).

His minutes are up from 18 a game to 19.1, which is sadly telling of what’s to come.

His scoring is down from 8.4ppg to 7.7ppg.

Field goal attempts are up from 6.7 to 7.1 per game, but his FG% dropped from 44.9% to 41%.

Threes have increased from 2.3 to 3.3 per game, but again, a % drop from 32.4% to 29.6%.

He’s enjoyed an increase in his FT% - 79.2% to 82.9%. But alas, he’s taking one whole less free throw per game, as they’ve gone from 2.1 to 1.2.

His assists per game have jumped from 1.1 to 1.7 per game. The bad news? Turnovers have hopped up from .9 to 1.4 a game. Not a pleasant ratio.

Time for some advanced (norm)etrics

His VORP is at a flat 0, as opposed to his 0.2 last season.

His win-shares have evaporated. His respectable 2.8 mark from last year has dropped to 0.5, and listen to this: owning a 2.8 win-share would slot him in 3rd place for the current Raps’ - behind Demar and Lowry. As of now, the only players with a lower rate are the four guys who never see the floor; Mckinnie, Brown, Miller, and Caboclo.

If you exclude Mckinnie, Brown, Miller, and Caboclo, Norman Powell is also dead-last in Raptors +/- (-1.8).

Ouch.

Numbers can often tell a story, and Norm’s numbers weave an admittedly depressing tale. It’s easy to sit here and say, “Minutes are up, everything else is down. Bad year for Norman”. Certainly, this is true, but you can see - through his numbers - how his game has changed for the worse.

Last year, 34.2% of his shots came from beyond the 3-point line. This year, 46.2% of his shots are being launched from past the arc. This has dropped his free throw attempt rate from 31.4% to 16.5%. He’s attacking the rim considerably less than last year, and he’s hitting his threes with less consistency.

Norm is too athletically gifted to sit back and just launch from the 3-point-line. In the beginning of this piece, I expressed my wish for him to become an elite three-and-D guy - and at 24-years-old it’s still more than possible. But right now he’s in a cold slump. Obviously, elite athleticism doesn't necessarily equal strong inside finishing (ask Jeremy Evans, Gerald Green or KJ McDaniels [among others]), but Norm has shown enough flashes of inside scoring to prove that he can do it.

Coaches will preach it constantly; when your jump shot ain't falling, get inside - get the easy ones. Norm needs to start doing this. When he’s open from 3 he obviously has the green light, but he’s got to get inside and take that mental lid off of the bucket.

What We’re Hoping for in Norm’s New Year

If I didn’t believe in Norman, I wouldn’t write this piece. Plenty of players enjoy early, young success, get overpaid, and become financial burdens on a franchise (does anyone want some stale primo pasta and sauce?). Norman isn’t that kind of guy.

He works too hard, and he’s too gifted to fail.

I noticed it last night vs. Atlanta; the last thing he'll do is hang his head. He has a deadpan manner about his play, much like a seasoned vet (or an OG Anunoby). He had a couple of bad calls not go his way and a few bouts of great defense result in some extremely tough shot making. Watch this 10 seconds of great defense on a zoned-in Taurean Prince, only to get called for an and-one that could have been an offensive foul, or a non-call.

Right after this play, Norm got mauled by two Hawks on a fast break layup. No call, Atlanta ball! Casey was incensed and the crowd rightfully let the refs have it without mercy. Norm threw his hands up in the air and looked around at a 2nd or 3rd ref for aid - as did his teammates. Before any party could argue for too long, Norm was already sprinting back on defense to D-up Prince yet again. This is what we love about Norm; he plays inspiringly hard.

No matter how the ebbs and flows of a game sway out of his favor, Norm marches on; onto the next one. On Monday, the Raps’ take on a dangerous Bucks team - day one of the 2018 calendar year.

New year, new Norman.