Norman Powell has spent 11 years in the NBA learning how to adapt, and when the Miami Heat moved him off the starting lineup in the middle of his best season, he leaned on exactly that experience. The veteran sharpshooter isn’t making it a bigger story than it needs to be, even if the timing raises legitimate questions about what comes next.
Why Norman Powell Is Embracing a Bench Role for the Miami Heat
Speaking to reporters about the change, Powell was measured and direct. “I’ve been through every single role, position in this 11-year career that I have, so it’s nothing new to me,” he said. “I put my hard hat on, go to work and whatever role it is, try to put myself in position to help this team win games.”
The context matters here. Powell came off the bench in Thursday’s 134-126 loss to the Lakers, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting across 32 minutes. This was the Heat’s third consecutive defeat after a seven-game winning streak.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra cited a recent groin issue as one reason for managing Powell’s role, while also acknowledging the broader challenge of integrating Powell and Tyler Herro into the same lineup now that Herro is back after missing 47 games this season.
“He’ll be fine as long as we’re responsible about it,” Spoelstra said of Powell. “These are not easy decisions right now. He’s going to play a lot of minutes. … [W]hat we’ll do each game, I don’t know at this point. We’re doing whatever we feel is necessary to put ourselves in a position to win.”
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Powell was candid when pressed on whether he views himself as a starter. “I feel like I’m a starter; I’ve worked to be in that role,” he said. “But if the team feels that me coming off the bench some games, or whatever it is, based on matchup, is going to put us in position to win games, I’m going to accept the role and go out there and play basketball.”
He also kept the broader focus where he wanted it. “Just playing my game, those decisions and things are above me. I can’t control that. I focus on what I can control: be a good teammate, be professional, continue to have confidence in myself…”
Bam Adebayo added perspective on the situation after the game, pointing out that the bench role doesn’t diminish Powell’s impact, given the minutes he’s still logging. “Norm’s sacrifice, he’s coming off the bench, and he’s figuring out his role, but he’s still playing 32,” Adebayo said. “[I]t doesn’t matter about coming off the bench at the end of the day, because you’re getting like Lou Will minutes coming off the bench, but you’re still playing 30 plus.”
What makes the situation worth watching is the timing. Powell is in the final year of the five-year, $90 million deal he signed in 2021 and will become an unrestricted free agent in July.
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He has spent the season making the strongest possible case for a significant contract, averaging 22.4 points per game on 47.2% shooting and earning his first All-Star selection at 32 years old. So moving to the bench, even temporarily, introduces that uncertainty at the moment where he needs consistency.
The Heat, for their part, are in a genuine crunch with 12 games remaining. They sit eighth in the East at 38-32, having lost three straight, and still haven’t fully figured out how Powell and Herro coexist in the same lineup.
