Montrezl Harrell has a career night
Montrezl Harrell earned his first start of the season Wednesday night, which didn’t seem to be the smartest choice at first. Although he plays with unmatched energy, he’s undersized for a center at 6 feet 7 inches. Considering the Milwaukee Bucks start two 7-footers, there was a good chance that his size would be used against him.
But because Harrell plays harder than just about any other player in the league, he found a way to make it work — and record a new career-high 34 points.
That isn’t to say Harrell wasn’t bothered by the size disparity. He made 13 of his 25 attempts (52.0 percent) on the night, which is well below the 73.6 percent rate he had been hitting at coming into the game. That said, he made scoring look easy against one of the league’s better defensive teams.
Harrell scored in all sorts of ways around the basket. Most notable, though, was the floater that he put in again and again.
It looks awkward at first, but it’s something Harrell has perfected during his time with the Clippers. He’s deceptive with it, too. You wouldn’t think that someone of his size and stature has the right amount of touch and finesse to will the ball in how he does, but it’s one of his strengths.
The best time to see it is when he’s running the floor. He’s got great speed and a better handle, and more often than not he’ll find a way to weave in and out of opposing defenses and get to the rim. But rather than throwing it down, Harrell will kiss it off the glass and have it fall gently through the net.
Harrell also corralled a team-high 13 rebounds, six of which came off the offensive glass, which only added to his historic night. Per the Clippers, Harrell became the first member of the team to have at least 30 points, 12 total rebounds and six offensive rebounds since Blake Griffin achieved the line in December 2014.
In a contract year, Harrell appears poised to have his best season to date. Through the first eight games of the season, the 25-year-old is averaging 21.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. If he’s still doing that come April, he’ll find himself in the conversation to be named Most Improved Player and/or Sixth Man of the Year.