LA Clippers center Montrezl Harrell has officially cleared his seven-day quarantine.
The LA Clippers have their Sixth Man of the Year finalist back. Well, to be clear, they have their second Sixth Man of the Year finalist back after center Montrezl Harrell officially cleared his seven-day quarantine earlier today just in time for the start of the NBA Playoffs.
Harrell left the NBA bubble in Orlando on July 17 because of a family emergency that was later revealed to be the death of his grandmother. He rejoined the team a week ago and was given a seven-day quarantine by the NBA, much to the dismay of his teammates.
“We’re mad about the days he got,” teammate JaMychal Green said recently. “But there’s nothing we can do about that but continue to move forward and get to that championship. That’s the goal.”
Having Harrell back in the mix will certainly help the Clippers in their quest toward that goal. The six-foot-seven inch center is currently the team’s third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder playing 27.8 minutes per game coming off the bench. His energy and tenacity will add a spark to the team that was certainly missed during the team’s eight seeding games.
The Clippers were able to take care of business without Harrell, going 5-3 in their games in the Orlando bubble. They are certainly happy to have their big man back for the start of the playoffs.
Harrell is ready to go
Harrell has been spending his week in quarantine getting ready to make the most of his return to the court. Head coach Doc Rivers said he spent his allowed 30-minutes-per-day of time out of his room “running outside his room.” The team also provided Harrell with an exercise bike and weight set inside his room and connected him to team workouts via video.
“We hold the camera phone, whatever it’s called, he at least can watch our film sessions,” Rivers said. “But other than that, listen, he hasn’t played in a month. We are really surprised that he had to be in quarantine as long as he’s been in, considering other cases, but it is what it is.”
For those paying attention to Harrell’s social media posts recently, it seems like the big man is hungry to get back onto the basketball court and dominate.
His teammate Lou Williams recently said he feels sorry for any opponents who have to match up with the man they call “Monsta Trezz.”
Harrell is officially listed as questionable for game one today against the Dallas Mavericks, but Rivers has said the team will not hesitate to play the big man, despite his extended absence. We look forward to having him back.