How did Powell play without Harden "attracting defensive focus"?

In the 24-25 season, Powell had the best season of his career with the Clippers, averaging 21.8 points per game. However, Powell did not win the respect of some Clippers fans. They believed that the reason why Powell was able to perform like this was mainly because Harden was attracting firepower and attracting double-teams from opponents. The opponent's strongest defensive player was defending Harden, which gave Powell a chance.

Especially in the two games that Harden missed, Powell's performance was very poor. Against the Rockets on December 9, Powell made 5 of 18 shots and only scored 17 points; against the Thunder on January 3, Powell made 1 of 11 shots and only scored 6 points. These two games have become strong evidence that Powell cannot perform without Harden.

You know, the Thunder ranked first in the league in defensive efficiency that season, and the Rockets ranked fifth.

Both teams have enough defensive gates in the backcourt. It is not difficult to lock down Powell without the help of Harden and Kawhi. After all, the others have no independent offensive ability at all.

In the 25-26 season, Powell was traded to the Heat and became the team's first offensive point. Even with Herro missing all of them, Adebayor missing 6 games, and Powell missing three games, the Heat were still able to achieve a record of 8 wins and 6 losses, which is inseparable from Powell's efficient performance. Powell averaged 31.4 minutes per game, scoring 25.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He shot 47.8% from the field, 46.1% from the three-point range, and 93.2% from the free throw line. Such an efficient shooting rate directly slapped in the face those who had previously questioned Powell.

Is Powell's offense limited to eating cakes outside the three-point line, shooting and catching three-pointers? Of course not! On the contrary, Powell is a very comprehensive scorer on the offensive end who can play both without the ball and with the ball.

Three-pointers after receiving the ball

As we all know, Powell's three-point shooting rate after receiving the ball is very high, and his three-point shots have no blind spots. With such a high three-point shooting rate, he can still get so many open three-point opportunities in the game because of his very smart running and good timing of moves. When watching Powell's game, it is inevitable to sigh, he is so accurate, how could his opponent miss him?

Catch the ball and break through

After receiving the ball, if Powell sees a defensive player taking a step forward, he will choose to break through with the ball. After a breakthrough, he sometimes chooses to go to the basket for a layup, and sometimes he throws in the mid-range. He can always choose the most advantageous way to score.

Breaking layup

Mid-range throw

Breaking through with the ball

Powell is also a great threat with the ball. Although he does not have an absolute first step, he can still use changes of direction and speed to pass opponents to complete throws or layups.

When playing against the Clippers, Jones Jr. and Dunn, the best defensive players in the Clippers' backcourt, did not miss any of them, and the sudden appearance was very tough!

Passing ability

As a shooting guard, Powell has no organizational skills, but he is not alone in playing, and he is willing to share the ball. In the Heat's offensive system, Powell is also a part of the passing team and can provide assists to his teammates.

The above are what Powell can use in his offensive arsenal. As mentioned before, Powell is a very comprehensive scorer, not a pure shooter similar to Joe Harris. He can shoot three-pointers, break through and draw fouls, and he has a big heart at critical moments. He is a very confident scorer.

I hope that Powell's performance can be respected by the fans.