"Kawhi is going to do what Kawhi needs.": Clippers' Norman Powell on superstar's return, joys of a new arena, and more

Well before the LA Clippers lost Paul George to free agency and Kawhi Leonard to another injury, Norman Powell prepared for this moment.

Not for the exact circumstances, necessarily. But throughout his 10-year career, he has focused on his training to maximize his conditioning and mental health to enhance his gratitude and resiliency.

That partly explains Powell’s calm demeanor as he sat at his locker before the Clippers’ 113-91 preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at Intuit Dome. He remained bullish both on Leonard’s recovery and the Clippers’ ability to absorb his indefinite absence beginning with their season opener against Phoenix on Oct. 23.

“I know people are counting us out and doubting us,” Powell told Sportskeeda. “But I feel like a lot of people here are underdogs and defy the odds.”

Powell addressed plenty of topics to Sportskeeda, including Leonard’s presence around the team, James Harden’s elevated leadership and how Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy have motivated players during training camp. Powell also talked about his increased role as a starter, playing in the final year of his contract and his impressions of Intuit Dome.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What do you think so far of the new arena?

Norman Powell: “I still don’t know where everything is at. But I think the setup of having your own home was needed. It’s good to have everything in one location with practice, shootarounds and games. You’re not going from one facility to the next. Everything is locked in so you can get your routine.”

How has that changed things so far?

Norman Powell: “It’s made everything easier from the standpoint where we know where we’re going and knowing our times. Nothing is being changed because of another event or another team. It’s easier for us to have access 24/7.

"It’s state of the art stuff. At the other facility, it was home for a while. But with trying to keep everything updated, I think being in a spot where everything is top of the line, you’re getting the best for your body to recover and for preparation. It’s been amazing so far.”

What it was like to deal with the opposite arrangement at Crypto.com Arena and Staples Center?

Norman Powell: “I’m used to it. I’m sure other guys have other things they got to deal with with different teams. Some teams have their own thing already. But when I was in Toronto (2015-21), we shared Air Canada Centre/Scotiabank Arena with the Maples Leafs, concerts and things like that. So I was already used to having to go to multiple places and having to deal with scheduling conflicts and stuff like that. But this has been a lot better. I love that everything is centralized. It’s our own home. Everything you see is Clippers, and nothing else. That’s really good.”

Ty was serious when he said you don’t have to worry about leaving your shoes behind, and not knowing if it’ll still be there. Did you have to deal with any of that?

Norman Powell: “Yeah. I’ve left a couple of things at Crypto and I’ve had to text the [equipment] managers to make sure that my items weren’t lost – jewelry, Airpods, toiletry bags. You’re worried if they go in ‘Lost-And-Found’ or if somebody is going to take it. But having everything here and your own locker 24/7, it cuts the little things out that people don’t have to think about.”

Did you experience any horror stories with that?

Norman Powell: “Nothing too bad. Nothing too crazy.”

What did you think of those 12:30 p.m. tips, though, on the weekends?

Norman Powell: “I never had a problem with it. If there is a time for us to play basketball, it’s the time to play basketball, whether it’s at 12:30 p.m., 10 a.m. or 7 p.m., 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. When I was in college [at UCLA], we played a 10 p.m. game in the Bahamas. I really don’t care, as long as I’m able to suit up. It doesn’t matter to me. I just want to be able to play basketball.”

You all have had to adapt to this already. But how do you and the group handle the uncertainty on when Kawhi is going to be back, not playing in the season opener and not being able to practice yet?

Norman Powell: “I think it’s business as usual. I don’t think we’re too worried about that. Kawhi is going to do what Kawhi needs.That’s his situation. We’re just focused on what’s in front of us and what we have to do. For the guys that are suiting up, they have to be ready to play and play the style of basketball no matter who is on the floor.

"That has been the MO before I got here and since I got here. We’re going to keep doing that. We’re going to put a product on the floor that will compete for a full 48 [minutes], win games and put us in a position on where we want to be. I know people are counting us out and doubting us. But I feel like a lot of people here are underdogs and defy the odds. We’re going to come out, compete and be tied together and be a tough team to play against throughout the course of the season. Whoever suits up will have that same mentality. I like the group that we got.”

What allows you and the group to think that way, knowing how great of a player that Kawhi is?

Norman Powell: “The players that do get on this team are definitely a type. There’s a buy-in with playing for a coach that has been through it as a player. He knows the grind and everything that comes with the NBA season. There’s trust there. He’s been through different roles, ups and downs and situations that he’s been able to relate to a lot of guys on the team. It makes you want to run through a wall for him. With the support and the addition of JVG [Jeff Van Gundy], the way he’s approaching it with holding everybody accountable on the defensive end, we’re really picking up that side of the basketball.

"People love it – the energy and the belief that he has in the players and instilling that they can do multiple things on the defensive end. It’s definitely resonated with the team. We’ve seen that in the competition levels in training camp. This is preseason. But this is why you see in every practice everybody is tied in on the defensive end and making sure that foundation and style that we want to play night in and night out is up to that standard. The coaches have a great deal to do with how we play every single night.”

Speaking of defense, both T-Lue and B-Shaw [Brian Shaw] said that with your starting role that you’re now going to have the defensive task to guard the best player. How have you prepared for that responsibility?

Norman Powell: “I love it. I’ve always had a want and ability to guard the best players when I was coming up. That’s how I got on the floor, guarding Carmelo [Anthony]. Coach [Dwane] Casey put me on [Kristaps] Porzingis when I was a rookie. As a second-year player, I was guarding ‘Bron [LeBron James] and guarding Russ [Russell Westbrook].

"I was picking them up full court at 94 feet. They want to rejuvenate that. Over the years, there’s been a focus on my scoring part. But I’m tapping back into my defensive abilities and guarding as a two-way player. I love it. I know I can do it. I know how I will be for this team. So I’m excited for the challenge and the task. I want to compete against the best.”

What was it like going up against Porzingis and 'Bron?

Norman Powell: “It was interesting. I couldn’t believe it. But I was just being physical with them and trying to crawl up under their air space and keep them off balance. Throughout the course of my career, I’ve guarded the top guys. I’ve done a pretty good job on them, including John Wall and Bradley Beal when they were in Washington. I’ve guarded the best. It’s not uncharted territory for me. It’s just about getting that mentality every single night and bringing it on both ends.”

B Shaw said one of the messages was to be in attack mode all the time. How do you keep that mindset through the whole game?

Norman Powell: “It’s just about continuing to read the game and not forcing anything. I have to get to my spots and be aggressive. I know the team needs me to be aggressive, but not forced. I know the team is going to come to me. I know I can score throughout the course of the game. Just through the flow, I don’t need a bunch of plays. So it’s just about reading the game, understanding time and score and what we need. It’s going to be a growing process for me as well with being a go-to guy every single night.

"I’ve had spurts of that in my career through a stretch of games where I’ve played really well. But it’s going to be a learning process. I’m mentally prepared for the ups and downs, the good, the bad and the ugly. It’ll be a learning process to be the guy you can count on every single night for production on both ends. I’m excited for the challenge. I’m excited for the season. I’m excited for the opportunity. This is what I work for.”

You’ve said this doesn’t bother you. But with you never winning Sixth Man of the Year, what parts of your game do you feel don’t get enough credit?

Norman Powell: “I think all of that stuff is a political thing. There are historical numbers with my production and efficiency when I was coming off the bench. As a sixth man, I don’t think analytically people look at that too much. I think it’s a popularity contest on highlights and what’s marketable and what can go up on social media and what’s trending.

"So if you’re on social media getting posted for dunks and things like that, people get more noticed and talked about. I think that’s what it is. I fit into a role perfectly for a team that was stacked with four Hall of Famers. I think I made my case pretty well. But since I wasn’t being viral with highlight dunks, I don’t think my name was at the top of the list every single night.”

I gather you’re also suggesting that your adaptability and being a two-way player are incredibly valuable. What goes into being that kind of player?

Norman Powell: “I just think the versatility, being able to read the game and being able to adjust. Every single night, you don’t know what your role is going to be. But I’m playing the game the right way and playing winning basketball. Things work out. I think that’s what made me be able to be so successful.

"Some nights, I’ll get 15 shots. Other nights, I’ll get six. No matter what you’re frustrated about, as long as the team is winning and you’re making winning plays, that’s all that matters. I’m a winning-first type of player. I think that’s what allowed me to be successful, not just in that role, but throughout the course of my career.”

How do you look at this opportunity, knowing you’re on the final year of your deal and you can show what you’re worth for the next one?

Norman Powell: “I think that my work ethic, mentality and approach to the game is what’s going to matter. I don’t really focus on the money. Money never mattered to me. I never played basketball for the money. As long as I take care of what I need to do on the court, stick to who I am, play my game and help this team win, everything off the court will take care of itself.

"I never worried when it’s a contract year. I prepare myself the same way every summer. I have high expectations for myself, and I want to meet those expectations. If I meet those expectations and we’re winning basketball, then the money is going to come. That’s how I’ve always looked at it.”

You’ve said you’ve tried to hone in on the mental aspect with training. What has that entailed?

Norman Powell: “I have a daily journal. I have a daily stoic book with messages and passages that I read. There are messages and passages to keep my mind focused on what’s important with staying in the moment and staying present. I’m just trying to be better in my outlook, my perspective and approach when I deal with the game or people off the court. It’s about staying even keel, positive and confident in myself and not feeling deterred or thrown off path with obstacles. A lot of it is based off stoicism, being present and being still and being able to read situations and make the right decisions with a calm mind and just build that mental fortitude to stay even keel through obstacles.

"So it’s a lot of different books. I could give you the gauntlet of books that I have. But I’m also talking to my mental performance coach on the different things that I see. He asks me a bunch of different questions about the game and how I feel just on a daily basis. Anything that doesn’t feel right or doesn’t seem right, we talk about it, break down and dive into it to get the right answer and get the right outlook on how I approach situations.”

Are there any examples you can share of you talking about a challenge and figuring out a solution?

Norman Powell: “I’ve worked with him for almost eight years throughout the course of the season. In my earlier years, when you play few games and then you get your opportunity and you don’t play well, that stuff sits with you because you don’t know when you’ll play again. Now it’s a snowball effect. You start being negative because you didn’t perform the way you did. You thought you put enough preparation in. Now you’re beating yourself up.

"Now when the opportunity comes again, you’re not prepared for it mentally. So then you have another bad game. How do you dig yourself out of that cycle? How do you change your perspective and change your approach to what’s going on?"

Powell added:

"He has a system that he put in place for me to ride the wave. You’re going to elevate. Then you’re going to plateau. Then you’re going to go through a drop. How are you digging yourself out of that? It’s the cycle of life. Things are going to go well. Things are going to go bad. Now you’re low. How do you get back to that high? What is that low telling you and trying to teach you? Instead of ‘woe is me,’ what is this obstacle and this challenge? What is this teaching me? What am I lacking in this? How do I come out of this? What do I need to learn and improve on to get better and get back to that level and positive curve?

"It’s a bunch of different things that he asks. He asks me about the outlook of the game and how I feel mentally going in, mentally during and mentally afterwards whether it’s a good game or bad game. He asks me a bunch of questions.”

How have you seen Harden handle this new role? He’s always been one of the team’s stars, but in the context of Paul leaving and Kawhi being out.

Norman Powell: “He’s approached it the same way he always has. I think it’s another year for him. He’s been that guy. He’s been in situations before. I don’t think it’s anything new to him. But I think he’s definitely been more vocal and holding everybody accountable when guys are slacking off at practices and the level isn’t where it needs to be.

"He’s been vocal and doing. He’s starting drills over, and he’s the one in the drill doing the little things, talking and making extra plays. It’s big time. It’s a trickle-down effect for everybody to be at that level. If he’s doing it or I’m doing it, nobody has an excuse. That’s the main thing that I’ve seen.”

Even with Kawhi trying to rehab, what has he been able to do behind-the-scenes with you guys?

Powell: “He’s been around. He’s been around talking to guys on the sidelines. He’s handling his stuff. But when he’s there, guys are able to talk to him and ask questions. He’s on the bench talking to guys and telling him what he sees. He’s always around. He’s always making sure he’s in tune and locked on, even if he’s not on the floor.”

In light of the team’s recent changes, you’ve brought up how you were on the Toronto team that still made the Eastern Conference semifinals the season after Kawhi left for the Clippers. Beyond what you’ve shared, what else do you think the general public is missing about what you all can do?

Powell: “I think they just look at what guys’ roles were in previous seasons and don’t understand opportunities and don’t really understand roles in the context of the team. People are taking things away from their game to fit on a team. I don’t think people understand or see everybody’s full potential or game. They just look at what last year was, and what their role had been. But everybody here is not a superstar. We’re playing a role. We have a bigger game we can get into with the opportunity given. I don’t think people take that into account. But it's good to be able to prove people wrong.

"I speak for myself. This has been my whole career. People didn’t think I could score at this level. People didn’t think I could be effective at this level. First, it was only defense that would get me in the NBA. Or I don’t play defense. Or he can’t shoot. Now I can shoot. Everybody is going to have a negative thing to say about your game. But I don’t think they truly understand the players that we have on this team, the work that’s put in and how we see ourselves. I think with the opportunities, we’ll be able to show that from top to bottom.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda.. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.