Montrezl Harrell signs with 76ers

Montrezl Harrell finally has a new home. The six-foot-seven center/power forward was one of the more attractive remaining free agents in the NBA until September 6th. Many were puzzled by Harrell’s ongoing availability. However, a familiar face had a lot to do with him finding his new home. Montrezl Harrell is now reunited with head coach, Doc Rivers, in Philadelphia. The 76ers add some much-needed depth on their bench and also gain some valuable toughness and energy with this addition. However, can he regain his Sixth Man of the Year form in a city which always heaps a ton of pressure on their teams?

Montrezl Harrell Inks Two-Year Deal with Philadelphia 76ers

Montrezl Harrell: His Past Few Years

Ever since his career years with the Los Angeles Clippers, Harrell has been trying to re-capture that spark he once possessed. Ever since he won the Sixth Man of the Year where he tallied 18.6 points, 7.1 total rebounds, and 58.0 percent shooting from the field, his totals have dropped off every year since then. Last season, he found himself being traded from the Washington Wizards to the Charlotte Hornets around the trade deadline. Harrell averaged 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 64.5 percent shooting from the field. Despite a relatively down season, he still had an excellent field goal percentage. Plus, his numbers were still solid during his short time with the Washington Wizards. With this in mind, Montrezl Harrell can still be a valuable contributor on the right squad and he may have just found it in the 76ers.

What Montrezl Harrell Brings to Philadelphia 

The Philadelphia 76ers are already showing they mean business with their title aspirations. They are obviously built around their MVP candidate in Joel Embiid, but they also brought back James Harden who should start to settle into their system. The team has been busy this offseason as they also signed P.J. Tucker who will provide some valuable perimeter defense and grit. Not to mention, Doc Rivers is still one of the best coaches in the entire league. Remember, Harrell’s best years came under the tutelage of Rivers. With these two reuniting, we could see a bit of a revival from Montrezl Harrell this season. He will be a welcome addition to Philadelphia’s bench, which was a weak point of the team last season. Just like in Los Angeles, Harrell will bring a renewed energy that could tilt the momentum at any time for the Philadelphia 76ers this upcoming season.

His Role Going Forward

As alluded to already, Harrell is going to be expected to be an energy guy coming off the bench. Whether he will be as effective as he was with the Clippers still remains to be seen. He will be expected to do the dirty work and make the hustle plays that will not show up on the stat sheet. For Philadelphia’s sake, Harrell will provide good enough minutes to give Joel Embiid some good rest. Something the 76ers will love considering Embiid’s injury history. Montrezl Harrell may not be what he once was a couple of years ago. However, under Doc Rivers again, the league should see why he is considered one of the better sixth men in the NBA.