Getty Montrezl Harrell #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center on December 21, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
It has been an uneasy beginning to his Philadelphia 76ers career for Montrezl Harrell. The former Sixth Man of the Year signed with the Sixers late in free agency for a minimum deal to provide the team with a different style of a backup big man. The 28-year-old needed to earn his role and has played just 12.0 minutes per game this season which is the fewest since his rookie year in 2015-16. Harrell is among the most comfortable of any player coming off the bench and has started just 34 of the 491 NBA games in his eight-year career despite having the talent to be in a starting five. When asked about this mindset, Harrell credited Lou Williams for helping him embrace a bench role and referred to the former Sixers standout as “my best friend.”
As Harrell put it in full, “I like to actually choose to come off the bench more so than start because you get to see the game. You get to see how the refs are calling it in the beginning, you get to see if they (are) calling little ticky-tack fouls or, you know, how the flow or the pace of the game is going and you get to see where you can go in and impose your will and help the team in any areas that we need help in. So honestly I actually like coming off the bench a lot more. I actually was able to learn that mindset a little bit with my best friend Lou Williams.”
Williams Time With Sixers
Sixers fans are extremely familiar with the production and impact of Williams as he spent seven seasons with the team between 2005-06 to 2011-12.
The 2005 second-round pick is one of the few remaining players who made the successful leap directly from high school to the NBA. Williams had his best season with the Sixers in 2011-12 where he averaged 14.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in his 26.3 minutes per game. Like Harrell, Williams has made a living becoming one of the greatest bench contributors and has three Sixth Man of the Year Awards to show for it.
Remember when Lou Williams was the Sixers leading scorer as a 6th man.
The duo were teammates on the Los Angeles Clippers between 2017-18 and 2020-21 and coached by Doc Rivers during this stretch. The two were competing for the best bench player on the Clippers and throughout the NBA as they combined for three consecutive Sixth Man of the Year Awards during their time together.
Harrell gave Williams his flowers for his ability off the bench by stating, “He’s a God at (bench production). He’s been doing that in this league and at this level for a long amount of time so just being able to be around somebody like him and listen to the mindset of how to approach the game.. being around him he taught me a lot of those things.”
Harrell’s Role on Sixers
The battle for minutes is far from over, but Harrell has done an impressive job of late. Backup center has continually been a point of weakness for the Sixers due to the massive shoes that Joel Embiid leaves to fill. After an uninspiring start to the season, Harrell has improved his performance and made a massive impact with his effort and energy.
Lou Williams and the LA Clippers surprised Montrezl Harrell with the Sixth Man of the Year award at Clippers practice today. 🏆
Quickly developing into a fan-favorite, Harrell can be spotted screaming in opponents’ faces and pumping up the crowd after accomplishing the most basic basketball tasks. He has notable chemistry with James Harden in the pick-and-roll which dates back to their time in Houston together. Harrell is effective as a roll-man as well as active on the offensive boards. His rim-rocking dunks and high energy stand out on this Sixers team as he is one of the prime guys who can provide a spark.
The biggest concern in Harrell’s play has been on the defensive end, but he has held up thus far. The Louisville product finished the team’s previous victory over the Pacers with four blocks and took a charge as evidence of this. He is not taking the opportunity for granted and leaving it all on the court. It will be seen throughout the rest of the season what Harrell’s role ends up as, but great to see him leaning on some advice from a former Sixers fan-favorite already.