THE CLIMB OF THE CLIPPERS
The NBA West has been predictably aggressive this season. Powerhouse teams like the Warriors and Rockets have struggled early, and solid teams like the Jazz and Timberwolves have found themselves in the bottom three. Surprise teams such as the Grizzlies (who I didn’t expect to land above the 13th spot) and the Kings have been fun stories in the competitive West as well. However, no team has had a more aggressive ride to 
the top than the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers look nothing like they did two seasons ago during the “Lob City” Era. Their Big Three has dispersed to different teams, with Chris Paul on the Rockets, Blake Griffin on the Pistons, and DeAndre Jordan on the Mavericks. In this series of trades and moves, the Clippers picked up a rag-tag group of players who’ve turned into a formidable team in the West. Highlighted by Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Marcin Gortat, and former Slept On Candidate Lou Williams, the team has fought hard to a 12-6 record with no signs of slowing down. However, my favorite story of the Clippers’ season has been the rise of a young center: Montrezl Harrel. The high flying strongman has been a force to deal with so far and has been Slept On this season.
THE PATH TO THE PAINT
Harrell has had a difficult road on his way to the role he’s in today with the Clippers. A star basketball player in high school, critics doubted Harrell’s ability to compete at the college level due to his size and lack of a jump shot, leading him to play an extra prep year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. During that season, Harrell dominated his high school circuit and became one of the best players in his class. After that dominant season, Harrell committed to Virginia Tech but ended up at Louisville after the firing of Seth Greenberg.
In his freshman season, Harrell was an important bench presence and developed into a key part of the championship team Louisville had in that year. After two more years in the starting lineup (and a Karl Malone Award for best Power Forward in the country), Harrell gave up the Cardinals jersey and declared for the 2015 NBA Draft.
His NBA Career started when Harrell was chosen with the 32nd pick of the NBA Draft in 2015, selected by the Houston Rockets. Harrell brought an exciting bench energy in his first two seasons in
the league but played minimal minutes for a West-dominating Rockets team. Most of his first season, Harrell spent time with the Rio Grande Vipers, the Rockets’ G-League (then D-League) affiliate team. He flashed his muscles in the D-League but proved to be unable to do much more than catch lobs at the NBA level, leading to his benching during playoff games and important meetings with high-level teams. He did prove to be a very efficient player, leading to his minutes increase during the next season, where he improved from 3 PPG to 9 PPG.
In the offseason before his third season in the league, Harrell received word that he was part of the blockbuster Chris Paul trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was packaged with Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams and sent to play basketball for his third season in Los Angeles. This trade turned out to be a good deal for the young forward, as he was given a chance to develop and play more minutes on a rebuilding Clippers team. He averaged 11 PPG and improved in almost every statistical category.
Harrell played the free agent market this summer but eventually decided to re-sign with the Clippers. He hasn’t started in any of the Clippers 18 games this year but is in the running for Sixth Man of the Year with an impressive 16 PPG and 7 RPG. Harrell’s played well on an aggressive second unit and has been a great athlete to catch lobs from both Lou Williams and developing rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The best part is that he’s only 24 years old and has improved significantly every season.
HOW DOES HE GET IT DONE?
Harrell’s skill set is unique for somebody of his size. He plays like a true center, despite being only 6’8″, heavily undersized for his position. Although there are other players in the NBA who are undersized for their position, Harrell is unique in the fact that he plays exclusively like a center. Players like Draymond Green and Elgin Baylor were undersized forwards, but they had three-point range and guard abilities. Harrell plays exclusively like a center, taking very few mid-range jumpers and almost never handling the ball. He relies on his incredible jumping abilities to get buckets over taller defenders. Harrell’s jumping ability is elite, and his ability to soar over players for alley-oops and powerful dunks highlights his impact on the Clippers’ offense.
The starting center, Marcin Gortat, is not known for his jumping ability, so it’s easy for him and Harrell to 
share the court, another advantage for when the Clippers go up against teams with a weaker paint presence. Harrell also uses his array of post moves to score. A frequent user of the skyhook, Harrell uses his post moves to trick bigger defenders and outsmart smaller ones. His impact on the Clippers with his highly-developed post game is evident and is why he’s one of the league’s most forgotten offensive players. Also an avid shot-blocker, Harrell’s overall game is completely Slept On.
Montrezl Harrell is a skilled post player, a hard-working shot-blocker, a 6MOTY Candidate, and is definitely Slept On.
Wanna talk basketball? Wanna recommend the next Slept On player?
Read the rest of the Slept On series here.
Hit up my Twitter: @JDavidsenPS