I'm guessing that you, like me, are a fan of Montrezl Harrell. He hustles, he's a strong finisher, an aggressive defender, and holy crap he actually boxes out when going for a rebound. He needs to improve on a few things. His aggressive defense is great, but he picks up too many dumb fouls. But hey that's what rookies do, so no big deal. He also needs to get a better grasp of defensive concepts so he's not caught out of place (but again, that's what rookies do, so no big deal). But what he needs most of all to be a PF on this team who contributes on offense is to develop a shot. Best case scenario would be he gets good at the corner 3. I really believe our offense was at its best when we had PPatt and Morris sniping from those corners (and having Parsons as an excellent slasher helped too). Better handles and a solid mid range jumper would also be great; if he were capable of running some high-low post offense like JSMoove that would be great. Sure, he and Capela weren't AAU teammates like Smoove and Dwight, but they could develop some chemistry too! Of course, not all basketball players are capable of becoming decent shooters. Some have a long/slow release, some have an awkward release, some have no touch, and some just never put in the practice time to really nail it down. With Montrezl, I think he could be a good shooter for a 4. As far as I can tell, his form isn't broken and he seems like the kind of guy to put in the practice time. With that said, I haven't seen a ton of the guy so I could be off. So, CF, in your opinion, how likely is Montrezl Harrell to develop a good shot?
Interesting question. IMO, the only chance Harrell has to be a substantial player in this league is if he develops a great 3-point shot. He's never going to be a top-notch rebounder. Just doesn't have the instincts. But if he could become a go-to shooter, he could really become something with his size, strength, explosion, and ability to run the floor. IMO, this summer tells the story. If he comes back with a much-improved jumper from distance then we might have something. If he pulls a Terrence and meanders around all summer and comes back with the same game basically then it's not going to happen. Players that become substantial difference-makers make marked strides in their game between their rookie and sophomore campaigns. So this is going to be the biggest summer of Harrell's career. If he's driven to succeed we'll see it in the fall. If he's not driven to succeed but is happy simply being in the league and getting checks then it's time to move on....while he may still have some residual trade value available. BTW, I was in favor of drafting Richaun Holmes over Harrell and I still prefer Holmes as a player over Harrell. I'd trade Harrell for Holmes straight up right now if I could. Holmes is already working on his 3-ball and he's already got the rebounding and defensive game going for him.
I would say he's got an outside shot of developing an outside shot... Actually I've seen him hitting them at a pretty good rate even in college. I think he can eventually hit the mid range at a PatPat/Landry/Scola level and I could see him picking up the corner three as well. I think we traded DMo partly because we saw potential in him and Clint.
He will be develop one, then be traded before teams make him a bigger offer - we have kept ZERO players beyond their rookie deals when they are due for a raise. DD
Just looked at these guys' two shooting stats and holy crap, 65% of PPatt's shots are three pointers this year, and he's shooting 35% from 3. 22% of Scola's shots are threes, and he's shooting 43% from 3.
Good form, so it's just a matter of practice. If he will put in the time like DMo did, there's a decent chance he can get there. I really enjoy watching Harrell. This team has lacked any sort of consistent energy, so it's nice to see a guy that cares. It would be a huge boost to this team if Harrell and Capela put in serious training time this offseason. I believe their skillsets are the key to beating Golden State...long, versatile athletes that can switch onto almost anyone and finish over the top of the defense. Milwaukee kind of proved that this year. This is also why I'm not keen to just dump KJ McDaniels this summer. I know this is a big stretch, but if Capela, Harrell and McDaniels can nail down their defensive assignments, and McDaniels and Harrell can show something as shooters, then you've taken a huge step forward in surrounding Harden with the right kind of players.
He has some ability. I've seen him shoot and he has decent form and a decent feel for shooting. If he puts in some serious work and focuses on improving his shot, he can develop a nice little jumper.
This so called developing an outside shoot idea is so outdated and laughable. His strength is power, energy and jump. You want a player to be developed with ways to utilize his strength to the max, which will be under the hoop and rebounding and defense. Do one or two thing very well is much important than doing 10 different things mediocre.
No. My mistake if my post came out that way. I think he can be a good defender and at least an adequate rebounder. But to be a real contributor to our offense, he will need to develop an outside shot.
Off topic but I have a friend who knows Harrell, sold him some French Bulldogs.... He told me he's talked to him lately and is really down on the year. He can't figure out why JB won't give him any playing time even though he's done better than a lot of the plauers getting time in front of him. Hopefully he gets some playing time moving foward with the deadline passing and he makes a difference. The guy is all energy and reallg cares which is nice.
So you want to pull one of your best rebounder saway from the basket on offense as to give up the second chance points and extra processions, instead, you want him to take some long mid range jumpers instead. Have you sent your resume to Morey and applying for the next Rox coach yet?
Montrezl already has an outside shot with good form, he just needs to make it consistently. Kid is much more polished offensively than I expected. If anything, its his rebounding and D rotation that needs the most work.
If he does develop his shot and becomes a good PF then we'll just trade him for a flaming bag of dog crap anyway so it doesn't really matter.
