Heat forward Norman Powell was on the injury report due to calf discomfort but played against the Nets on Thursday. Powell won’t let nagging injuries stop him from suiting up, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
“I think it’s not too much of a concern with me. I mean, every place that I’ve been, every organization knows what type of player I am, my mentality, playing through injuries, trying to be on the court as much as possible,” he said. “I always tell them, like, I’m a player that I broke my hand in a game back when I was in Toronto, and I went back in the game and played. I played through strains and things like that. I push my body to the limit.”
Powell is headed to unrestricted free agency in the summer if he doesn’t sign an extension. Powell, who is averaging 24.4 points, is still seeking his first All-Star nod.
“It’s always been a goal of mine since I was a kid,” he said. “But a lot of that stuff is out of my control. I know a lot of people have talked about it since last year. People have talked about it this year. My job is to go out there and play the best brand of basketball that I know I’m capable of playing and helping the team get wins and get back on track. Obviously, individual accolades are great, and you want that.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- The NBA and the Players Association held their grievance hearing Wednesday in New York regarding the league’s withholding of Terry Rozier’s salary in an escrow-type interest-bearing account but a resolution was not reached. Rozier is on indefinite unpaid leave after being arrested on federal charges related to illegal gambling. A formal, written ruling on the grievance is not expected until next month, likely after the NBA’s Jan. 7 contract-guarantee deadline, Winderman writes.
- Dru Smith has endured two major injuries to his knee and Achilles during his career. He’s pushed through adversity to earn a three-year contract and a spot in the rotation. “I’m just proud of myself for making it back to this point,” Smith said, per the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “Honestly, a year ago, I would have been like, ‘I have no idea what it’s going to look like.’ So just to be back, be playing, I think I’ve been available every night. That was a huge thing going into the year. Obviously, that’s been one of my biggest issues is just being able to be available for the team. So just trying to make sure that I’m continuing to keep up with everything, continue to take care of my body because we’re still not through December and I haven’t seen it through December in a couple of years.”
- Their offensive numbers have cratered during their current five-game losing streak but Powell told Chiang that’s a secondary issue. “We’ve got to be a defensive-first team,” Powell said. “I think we shifted a little bit because our offense was so great. We thought, well, we can just come in and score and everybody’s going to get their shots, and it’s going to be great. But teams are adjusting, so now we have to really adjust. It’s still early. We’ve still got time, but the identity of who we have to be is going to be a defensive Miami Heat team.”