MIAMI – With the Miami Heat going through a slump before Monday's game against the Toronto Raptors, one of the many bright spots this season has been Norman Powell. As Powell has been playing his most pure basketball with the Heat this season so far, head coach Erik Spoelstra speaks about the certain traits that have made him a perfect fit.
After being traded to Miami from the Los Angeles Clippers, Powell was seen to bring an offensive gutpunch that the team needed, as he's been doing that and more. Leading the team, he's averaging 24.6 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 43.6 percent from three-point range, bringing the explosive offensive production.
Spoelstra would speak before Monday's game against Toronto about the layers Powell has and the trait that has been the most “encouraging” for him.
“The versatility that he has as an offensive player just really fits us and what we needed this year,” Spoelstra said. “He can really score, and he can do it on-the-ball or off-the-ball. Most of his career, he's had to learn how to play off the ball, off of other guys, and still be efficient and effective. And I just think that's a great skill set to have.”
“And then the last two or three years with the Clippers, he had the ball in his hands more often, and he showed the league what he's capable of,” Spoelstra continued. “I think with us, he's showing even more of that…But the other really encouraging part of it is his personality just really fits us and how we operate, how we approach competition. He's got a great way about himself. He can be serious, but he also can bring a lightness to a locker room.”
Erik Spoelstra speaks about the layers he’s seen from Norman Powell throughout his career and especially now with Miami: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/uy5Hh5zIxE
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 15, 2025
Heat's Norman Powell on playing his “most pure basketball”
While the Heat have been dealing with injuries, Powell has stepped in to be the team's main offensive piece in the scoring department, as he's been doing it in a variety of ways. As mentioned, Miami's new offense that emphasizes a fast pace and a free-flowing style has fit Powell, and he would even say to ClutchPoints that he's playing the “most pure basketball” the 32-year-old has performed in his career.
“I feel good,” Powell said. “Playing, going out there, not thinking, not worried about anything, just playing the game in front of me, trying to be the best version of myself for the team, trying to be a great leader, trying to show through my years of experience and the different roles that I've been in, talking to the guys, with everybody's role changing and things like that.”
“I think that's where I found my niche,” Powell continued. “And where I can be the most impactful with my play and then my leadership style coming in here early, with the young guys, seeing me get my work in, talking to them, keeping them motivated.”
With players such as Tyler Herro and others coming back into the lineup, the next step for Powell and the rest of the team is to build up the chemistry and regain the momentum they had with the early success of the season.
Before Monday's game against the Raptors, the team is 14-11, and after the contest, they embark on a three-game road trip that starts Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets.
