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After an already successful offseason, Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers snuck in one more move before the start of training camp. Following the charges being reduced on an incident that happened earlier this summer, Montrezl Harrell signed a two-year to reunite with Doc Rivers in Philly.
The backup center spot was something that was up in the air for the Sixers but is now solidified. As a former Sixth Man of the Year, Harrell will bring a scoring punch at the center spot when Joel Embiid is off the floor. In 71 games last season, the veteran big man averaged 13.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG.
Since the news of the signing broke, reactions have been split among Sixers fans. Some are excited about more depth being added to the roster, while others are concerned about his play on the big stage. Most notably, his on/off numbers from his final playoff run as a member of the LA Clippers.
Speculation also arose about what will now happen with young big men Paul Reed and Charles Bassey. Before Harrell was signed, it was believed the two of them would be battling out for minutes behind Embiid.
Montrezl Harrell’s Numbers Shouldn’t be Great Cause for Concern
There is no denying Harrell’s playoff numbers were shaky a few years back, but that shouldn’t create a huge panic among Sixers fans. While Doc Rivers is sure to stick with his veteran players, his impact in the postseason will unlikely mirror that of his LA days.
When the Clippers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 Western Conference semifinals, Harrell logged 134 minutes across seven games (roughly 19.1 MPG). He will fill a similar type of super-sub role to the Sixers, but not to the degree he did with the Clippers.
With each passing season, Joel Embiid continues to chip away at the “injury-prone” narrative that plagued his career. Fresh off appearing in a career-high 68 games, the MVP runner-up has proven he can be a nightly fixture in the lineup.
Come the postseason, Embiid is going to push his body to the limit. He has shown he will do whatever it takes to get the Sixers within reach of a title. In the ten playoff games he appeared in last year, the All-Star center played close to 39 minutes per game.
Playing behind Embiid, Harrell won’t garner much playing time when the postseason rolls around. All he will have to do is hold things down in the 10-12 minutes his star teammate is on the bench catching a breather.
Fan Unveils Sixers ‘All-Dawgs’ Lineup
Heading into this offseason, defense and toughness were major points of emphasis for Daryl Morey and the Sixers. Between adding De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr., and P.J. Tucker, Doc Rivers now has a plethora of gritty defenders to deploy around his pair of All-Stars.
Even with his glaring postseason numbers, Harrell brings a similar toughness to the Sixers. He is a loud-mouthed big that does not shy away from letting his voice be heard on the court.
One fan is already creating a new nickname for potential Sixers lineup combinations. Along with Furkan Korkmaz, who was just recently involved in a physical altercation at EuroBasket, Harrell completes an ‘All-Dawgs’ platoon.
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