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Erik Spoelstra gets real on Norman Powell’s comfort level ahead of Heat season opener
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- Erik Spoelstra gets real on Norman Powell’s comfort level ahead of Heat season opener
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The post Erik Spoelstra gets real on Norman Powell's comfort level ahead of Heat season opener appeared first on ClutchPoints .
MIAMI – With fans locking in their bold predictions for the Heat's upcoming season , one piece of the team that will be crucial to the success is newcomer and star Norman Powell . As Powell's comfort level with the Heat is growing by the day, head coach Erik Spoelstra gives more insight into the process.
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Powell is set to be Miami's top offensive option to start the season due with Tyler Herro beginning on the bench due to an ankle/foot injury that could have him return towards the end of November, going into December. Spoelstra would be asked if the goal with Powell is for him to be 100 percent comfortable ahead of the Oct. 22 opener or if it will be a continuous process.
" I don't know . Everybody's been working hard. I don't know how to gauge where guys are. I think he's playing pretty well right now," Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints before the final preseason game on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies . "He's comfortable, and what we're trying to do, he's adding, for sure, to what we're doing, and he's been great in the practices, too."
So far in the preseason, Powell has shown why he is an offensive gut punch, scoring around 18 points per game in the last three outings in limited minutes. He would tell ClutchPoints on Thursday that he is around 70 percent comfortable in getting acclimated to how the team plays.
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"I would say it's probably like in the 70s, just still trying to figure out flow, the attack points, how we're trying to play. Biggest thing, how we're trying to play is we've been emphasizing pace," Powell said after Thursday's practice. "So just still trying to find my spots on that end…So I'd say it's at a 70."
Heat's Norman Powell on how his comfort level will keep "building"
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While Powell looks to step up for the Heat in Herro's absence , it's something that he has donebeforet as just recently with the Los Angeles Clippers last season when Kawhi Leonard missed a chunk of time to start. What it led to was a season where Powell shone, averaging 21.8 points per game on shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from deep, even being voted as a top-10 Western Conference guard.
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Powell would further say to ClutchPoints on Thursday that his comfort level will continue building and hopes it's at its peak when it's late in the season.
"It's going to be building for me, it's never about coming in 100% ready to go, it's about looking at what the team needs, looking at what the season is asking. We don't want to play our best basketball to start, we want to play winning basketball, obviously, but we want to be building and trending in the right direction," Powell said, preparing for his first season with Miami after being traded in the offseason from the Clippers.
"It's a long season," Powell continued. "We want to be trending when it gets tight, gets close, in a time where it matters to win and making this playoff push."
At any rate, Powell looks to elevate Miami this season without Herro as the team last season finished with a 37-45 record, which put them 1oth in the Eastern Conference. The Heat open the regular season on the road on Wednesday, Oct. 22, against the Orlando Magic .
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