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After the Los Angeles Clippers traded away their leading scorer Tobias Harris in February, many believed there'd be no coming back for this franchise from that point on. But evidently, they ended up over-achieving every possible goal and exceeded all expectations before crashing out to Golden State in the first round of the playoffs.
At the forefront of this humongous tectonic shift - which involved LA finishing with a respectable 48-34 win-loss record and dragging the mighty Warriors all the way to a Game 6 - was the 32nd overall pick from the 2015 NBA draft, Montrezl Harrell. His efforts to ignite the spark in LA bagged him a finalist spot for this year's 'Sixth Man of the Year' award (along with teammate Lou Williams and Pacers' Domantas Sabonis),capping his emphatic season with a fitting end.
“He is, for me, the identity of our team,” said Avery Bradley back in November. “A hard grit player who brings it every single night and every single possession. And he energizes our team when he plays that way.”
Let's take a look at a bunch of arguments that suggest why he deserves to win this award.
#1 The Clippers would not have been the force they were without Harrell's heart and hustle
In a deal that sent Chris Paul away to the Rockets, the Clippers got the former Louisville Cardinal along with Beverley, Dekker, Hilliard, Liggins, Williams, Wiltjer and a 2018 first-round pick. Harrell resigned with the Clippers last summer and laid the foundation for what was going to be a career-transforming season for him.
More than the numbers and dominance in the paint, he was the team's emotional leader - a mini Draymond Green in many ways. He was ferocious, exaggerated, pumped-up and in some ways what many call as the basketball expressionist.
The 6-foot-8 center/forward did all he could physically and mentally to give his team just that extra edge they required in crunch times to get through.
#2 Harrell possesses the athleticism as well as stats to back up his case for the award
Having played in all 82 games for the Clippers this season, the 25-year-old averaged a career-high 16.6 points per game (over 5 ppg better than his previous career-best) and pulled down 6.5 boards per game (another career-high) while playing 26 minutes per game.
He and Williams combined to average a league-high 53.4 points per game in bench points. Moreover, he had three games with at least 24 points, as he ended his brief postseason campaign with a sturdy scoring average of 18.8 points per game against the ruthless Warriors defense.
During the regular season, Harrell's plus/minus stat indicated that he was 7.1 points better than the average NBA player over 100 possessions and accordingly, ranked ninth in the entire NBA – between No. 8 James (7.5) and No. 10 Irving (7.1).
“I tell my guys, throw it up there,” he said. “I’ll catch it. If I don’t, it’ll be my turnover before it’s yours.”
Standing at 6-feet-8 and 240 pounds, Harrell is a tough center, who sets solid screens, rolls hard to the rim and finishes with thunderous jams.
#3 He is the true definition of what consistent hard work and patience can get you
Montrezl couldn't really find his stride with the Rockets after they drafted him in 2015. Although he played more games in his sophomore season, his impact on the floor saw an apparent decrease.
“Kevin McHale was my coach and then J.B. Bickerstaff, and when Mike D’Antoni came along it was three coaches in two years,” Harrell said. “I usually played in back-to-backs, because Nene (Hilario) didn’t. They didn’t have time to see my game, didn’t know what I’d been working on.”
Fast forward to the present, his ceiling is now sky-high. All that hard work, years of patience and faith in oneself has all come to fruition. From being an afterthought on a blockbuster trade that sent Paul to Houston two years ago to becoming a force that propelled his side to an 8th seed and two playoff wins over the defending champs, Montrezl Harrell has been tough both on and off the court.
