Los Angeles Clippers guards Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard are on the roster in both Toronto and Los Angeles.
Those experiences led Powell to compare Leonard to some of the great players in NBA history.
“It’s like a LeBron or a Jordan or a Kobe on the court, being able to read the game and stay calm while he’s playing,” Powell said Friday on “The Paul George Podcast.”
Powell told George that everything changed for the Raptors in 2018 when Leonard arrived in Toronto following the trade for DeMar DeRozan.
“It’s just different coming into training camp,” Powell said. “When ‘Whi steps on the floor, you’re like, ‘Oh, we have a chance to get to the top.'” … “Wh got this guy. When we got ‘Whit,’ we knew we had a chance.”
Leonard eventually won the Finals MVP for the second time in 2019 after leading the Raptors to the championship. Powell and the Clippers now hope he can achieve a similar feat in Los Angeles.
Like the Raptors, the Clippers had never won an NBA championship before Leonard joined the team.
Unlike the Raptors, their path to the championship wasn’t that quick. Since Leonard arrived in Los Angeles during his lone championship season with the Raptors in 2019, the Clippers have only made it to the Western Conference Finals, losing to the Miami Heat in six games in 2020.
Powell and Leonard both played in the Clippers’ 123-11 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Powell led the bench with 8 points in nearly 22 minutes of game time. Leonard is only 23 points behind Paul George.
That game was the 79th game that Powell and Leonard played together. Leonard said in December that he had watched Powell grow as a player during this time.
“Just experience,” Leonard said of Powell’s growth. “Just being able to play. I think now he knows how to take the shots he likes to take. … I think now he’s just starting to see angles on the court and take shots when he knows other people can’t take them.” His shot , and shoot with confidence. “
Powell compared Leonard to some of basketball’s all-time greats, and it’s clear the respect is mutual.