Getty Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell.
Montrezl Harrell may be a Los Angeles Laker right now but he’s going to be connected to the Clippers for a while. He’s going to be playing in the same building and the two teams will be playing each other quite a bit this season. Plus, Harrell can’t help but take subtle shots at his former team.
The Clippers made news on Monday when it was reported that they were giving Luke Kennard a four-year contract extension worth $64 million. That’s a lot more than Harrell got from the Lakers but it doesn’t appear he’s mad about that. Shortly after the Kennard news broke, Harrell seemingly took a shot at the Clippers.
😂😂😂😂 OK!
Harrell has talked about how he doesn’t think the Clippers wanted him back despite winning Sixth Man of the Year last season. He’s probably laughing because the team gave Kennard a lot of money, even though he wasn’t as good as Harrell last year. Regardless, the Clippers needed to shake things up after a disappointing season. Both sides are probably better off now that they’re apart.
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Lakers Play Clippers to Start Season
Harrell has already had a couple of shots to play his former team in the preseason. However, things will be different in regular-season games. That’s when both teams should be at full strength. The Lakers handled the Clippers in their two preseason games but they’ll be seeing each other again very soon.
The two Los Angeles teams play each other to open the season. Last year, the rivalry between the two was very contentious. The Clippers were anointed as the new top dogs in Los Angeles despite having never won anything significant. The Lakers were the team that ended up winning the championship last season while the Clippers didn’t even make it to the Western Conference Finals.
The matchup between the two teams feels different this year. There’s not really a lot of hype surrounding the Clippers while the Lakers are the favorites to win it all again. The Clippers could do a lot to prove themselves with a win over the Lakers to start the season.
Harrell Among Favorites to Win Sixth Man of the Year
Harrell may be the defending winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award but things could be more difficult this season. Depending on how the Lakers’ starting lineup looks, they could have a few really good options off the bench. Dennis Schroder was the runner-up for the award last year and Kyle Kuzma could bounce back this season.
That said, it’s possible that both Schroder and Kuzma start a lot of games, but it’s hard to imagine Harrell not coming off the bench. He should be one of the favorites to win the award. The Lakers have a superstar duo at the top but LeBron James and Anthony Davis shouldn’t work too hard in the regular season. That should give role players like Harrell a bigger role. He’s looked impressive in the preseason and should have an important role when the regular season starts.
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