Portland Trail Blazers Draft Profile: Montrezl Harrell

Harrell’s Skillset

Harrell brings a very specific skillset to whichever team that will draft him. He’s probably cursed by the Kenneth Faried comparisons, which may have been exacerbated by having a similar “look,” and although they do share some similar traits, there are clear distinctions between the two.

Like Faried, Harrell is credited with playing with fantastic energy.  He may be the best frontcourt target in transition in the draft. As Draft Express puts it in their profile of Harrell:

"Harrell is a relentless floor-runner, getting out regularly in transition beating opposing big men down the court. He’s a constant target for lobs and alley-oop plays in both the half and full court, and is a terrific finisher around the basket in general, converting a terrific 65% of his attempts around the rim on the season. He seems to relish taking contact around the basket, drawing free throws at a solid rate in return."

It’s this elite skill that is the basis for the similarities to Faried. And like Faried, there are major question marks about the current status and long term potential of the rest of his offensive game. Like Faried, Harrell supplements the lack of a jump shot, limited post game, and almost non-existent ball handling ability with elite offensive rebounding ability.

Harrell averaged 11.5 rebounds per 40 minutes in his sophomore season and 10.4 per 40 in his junior season.  According to Hoop-Math.com, he had 43 putbacks last season, 18 more than his next highest teammate, and had a FG% of 77.1% on putback attempts.

For his career, Harrell shot 11-for-40 (28 percent) from the 3-point line and although he improved his free throw percentage by 14 percentage points from his sophomore and junior season, he improved it from 46 percent to just less than 60 percent. It’s very difficult to see how Harrell will develop the ability to score in the half court in any way besides rebounding offensively.

Of course, as we saw with Tristan Thompson in his solid playoff run, there is a role in the NBA for an elite offensive rebounder that can defend his position adequately and understands how to utilize the limited space he’s provided because of his limited skillset.

It’s on the defensive side of the ball that Harrell will need to perform to carve out his role in the NBA.  Although undersized at 6’7.5″ (NBA Draft Combine), his elite athletic ability, 7’4″ wingspan, and strength (he weighed in at 253 lbs at the combine) provide a foundation for him to be able to defend.

Harrell spent his career playing on the wing in Rick Pitino’s 2-3 zone in college, which is one reason why his defensive rebounding may look a bit unimpressive, and it makes it difficult to project his defensive skills in the NBA.

But playing in that scheme also exposed Harrell to playing a bit of defense on the perimeter and may serve him well when he’s asked to step out and defend in the NBA.

The thought is his strength (he’s credited as being very difficult to move when defending the post) and wingspan will allow him to play bigger than he is, but there are question marks with his awareness and basketball IQ on both ends that make you wonder if he’ll become a smart positional defender, something that’s becoming more and more essential in the modern NBA.

Next: How Does Harrell Fit with the Blazers Roster?