The Miami Heat's resurgence is largely powered by one man

Norman Powell in the mix for an elusive All-Star berth due to him embracing change and thriving.

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell has emerged as his new team's leading scorer, but it's his style and ability to fit in that has served him best over the NBA season's first month-plus. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Norman Powell isn’t a senior citizen by NBA standards, but he qualifies as an uncle on any roster. The 32-year-old guard has played in the U.S. and Canada, breaking in with the Toronto Raptors a decade ago, and was joining his fourth different team when the Miami Heat acquired him from the L.A. Clippers in early July. 

A former second-round pick who was on the cusp of landing his first All-Star berth last season, it would’ve been easy for Powell to wallow about such a big move this late in his career. The UCLA product was switching coasts and conferences, getting moved from a roster filled with veterans he knew well to a team coming off a miserable season. 

Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have been exceptional catalysts for the Heat during their unexpected great start, but Powell tops the list of reasons why Miami is off to a 14-7 start. It’s not entirely tied to leading the Heat in scoring, even though he does at 25.0 points per game.

That he’s done it shooting exquisite percentages of 50.9 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from 3-point range also isn’t quite it.

Why Powell has helped clear the stench from the brutal series collapse against Cleveland that put an exclamation point on the Jimmy Butler-impacted disaster that was 2024-25 is his attitude. He’s been a pro. 

Leaving L.A. behind, embracing new opportunity has been impressive

Coach Erik Spoelstra has blindly thrown him in with the starters for every game he’s been available, knowing that he’ll blend in. He’s been aggressive, helping set the tone for this new style of play that has produced the highest scoring average in the East through the quarter point of the season.

"That's something for them to have to deal with and handle, but I'm not worried about them anymore."

Heat's Norman Powell on his former team, the Clippers early season struggles 🗣

(via @ZachWeinberger) pic.twitter.com/BsazWSiqHz

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 2, 2025

Powell was asked about the Clippers’ poor start after the Heat handed them another loss on Monday, dominating 140-123. Having just scored 30 points against his former team, he said he “would have never guessed they were gonna be 5-16 and where they’re at right now. That’s something for them to deal with and handle. I’m not worried about them anymore.”

Ouch. Tough, but fair. L.A. wanted to get bigger with John Collins becoming available and still hope to get things turned around. The Clippers’ desire to get James Harden another lob threat and Ivica Zubac some rebounding help allowed the Heat to turn Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson into Powell. 

Powell’s reputation as a tireless worker precedes him, but adapting to “Heat Culture” also required embracing a new environment on the fly. With Tyler Herro returning after missing the first month-plus, another variable was added to the mix since he missed the Heat All-Star’s 2025-26 debut. Powell has averaged 29 points over the last two games, shooting 21-for-34 from the field and 9-for-16 from beyond the arc. Kawhi Leonard, who has played with Powell in Toronto, where they won a championship together in 2019, and in L.A., said post-game he was happy for him, seeing the same offensive catalyst he's always been.

Kawhi Leonard talks up former teammate Norman Powell and gave credit to Heat’s execution after the Clippers lost in Miami pic.twitter.com/gFjZyLfUCz

— alex toledo (@tropicalblanket) December 2, 2025

Get downhill, move the ball, let it fly when you’re open. It sounds simple, but Powell is making it look seamless in a contract year that could’ve gone either way. If he struggled, he could’ve damaged his potential for one last payday given his age. If he got homesick for L.A., this would’ve never gotten off the ground. Instead, behaving like the consummate professional will have him right back in the mix for that elusive first All-Star berth four years after last playing in the East with the Raptors.

In that sense, it’s deja vu for Powell, who was in a contract year with an organization that viewed him as expendable. After a strong run early in his Portland tenure, he was rewarded with a five-year, $90 million extension that expires at the end of this season.

Powell is putting himself in position for another payday by putting his head down, going to work, and leaving the past in the past. Miami couldn’t have expected this going as well as it has thus far.

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