Miami Heat newcomer and leading scorer Norman Powell has already been impressed with “Heat Culture” thus far.
(Photo via Imagn Images)
When the Miami Heat pulled off the under the radar acquisition of Norman Powell from the LA Clippers over the summer, it seemed like a brilliant move from the start.
All it cost in a three-team deal between the Heat, Clippers and Utah Jazz to add Powell was aging veterans that had inconsistent roles last season with Miami in Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson. No draft picks were involved from Miami’s side.
And the move is already turning heads as yet another steal pulled off from Pat Riley.
Norman Powell is COOKING this season for the Miami HEAT:
21 PTS – 2 REB – 2 AST – 60 FG% – W
29 PTS – 7 REB – 3 AST – 3 STL – W
15 PTS – 6 REB – 1 AST – 50 FG% – W
28 PTS – 9 REB – 4 AST – 50 3P%
STEAL OF THE SUMMER pic.twitter.com/7QGQuXFx3G
— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) November 4, 2025
Powell has immediately emerged as the Heat’s leading scorer at 23.3 points on elite shooting splits of 50% from the field and 52% from 3-point range. Fans were expecting an efficient and established veteran scorer once he was acquired, and Powell has been even better than advertised thus far. Not to mention that the talented backcourt duo of Tyler Herro and he have yet to hit the floor together, only making the team’s upside this season that much more intriguing.
At 32 years old, Powell is at the peak of his prime, and his addition to the lineup has been refreshing. Miami lacked a reliable scoring boost to supplement Herro and Bam Adebayo for the entire second half of last season since the post-Jimmy Butler trade. With Herro’s sudden offseason injury news right before the start of the season, Powell’s addition was even more needed to help shoulder the offensive responsibilities until he returns.
Luckily for the Heat, this perfect fit with Powell has been felt mutually— as the talented guard spoke to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald recently on how he’s been enjoying the time with his new team:
“I love it here. I love everything about the Heat. … I loved them before. They were on my list before I signed my extension in Portland. I wanted to come here and play for the Heat. So I’m excited. I like the culture. I like what they have going on here. I like the mentality and the approach. I feel like they take guys to the next level. They push them past their own expectations, they have high standards.
“I always like being around people that have high aspirations and high goals for themselves. It fits who I am, so I want to be here. Hopefully they feel the same way.”
— Norman Powell (via Miami Herald)
Norman Powell on joining Heat Culture:
“I was nervous of how strict they are with diet, body fat, conditioning tests. We knew if you go to Miami, it’s going to be military style… Being a part of it now, honestly it’s really amazing. I can see why they’ve been so successful.” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LoUaVykCgf
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) November 2, 2025
It’s been great to see Powell be so vocal about his excitement towards this new chapter of his 11-year NBA career.
Prior to the Heat’s bounce back win against his former Clippers squad on Monday, he had missed three straight games with a minor groin injury. His presence was missed in the lineup, and magnified even more with Herro remaining sidelined still. Miami had gone 1-2 without Powell, and improved to 3-1 with him after that statement Clippers victory.
Powell was coming off a career year last season for LA stepping in for the injured Kawhi Leonard offensively. And he has carried over that valuable scoring capability to South Beach. He has picked off right where he left off from a season ago and continues to build on strong offensive numbers.
The Heat newcomer is playing for a new contract as well, as Powell is extension eligible before becoming a free agent at the end of the season. If things continue to go well and he stays healthy, Miami should be heavily interested in bringing Powell back into the fold longer term.
He is currently on a bargain price tag of a nearly $20 million salary for this 2025-26 season.
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