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Former UCLA Star Showing Amazing Consistency in Breakout Season
Jan 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell is one of the most interesting stories in the NBA this season.

Powell is averaging 23.7 points per game on 49.0/44.1/83.2 shooting splits, representing, by far, the best year of his career.

For reference, the former UCLA Bruins star owns a career average of 13 points per game, and while his lifetime percentages (47.1/40.0/82.8) are in line, the fact that he is upholding that efficiency on such higher volume is truly remarkable.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Powell's run — other than the fact that he is oddly breaking out at the age of 31 — has been his consistency.

Look at Powell's numbers in December and January, for example.

Last month, the UCLA product posted 25.6 points a night while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from 3-point range. Thus far in January, Powell is registering 22.2 points per game while making 48.9 percent of his shots and 40.6 percent of his triples.

So, essentially, Powell's shooting percentages between December and January are identical.

The San Diego native is showing no signs of slowing down, as he has recorded under 20 points just three times since Dec. 16. That's a span of 16 games.

Powell was always a decent scorer, as evidenced by the fact that he tallied 19 points per game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Clippers during the 2021-22 campaign (although he played in just 45 games that year).

Still, no one ever expected this from Powell, who had previously just been a reliable complementary scorer.

Powell did a tremendous job of keeping Los Angeles afloat throughout Kawhi Leonard's absence, and now that Leonard has returned, Powell still hasn't skipped a beat.

The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter spent four seasons at UCLA between 2011-12 and 2014-15, averaging 9.8 points per game. His best year came during his final campaign with the Bruins, when he logged 16.4 points a night.

However, Powell wasn't much of a long-range shooter throughout his time at UCLA, as he converted on just 31.4 percent of his three-point tries.

We'll see if the newfound Clippers star can continue his success during the second half.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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