Positional Power Rankings: 30 best power forwards in the NBA
By John Buhler
Montrezl Harrell
Power Forward, Houston Rockets
For whatever reason, former Louisville Cardinals standout Montrezl Harrell fell to the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets. Harrell has been a solid rotation player for the Rockets the last two seasons.
He plays with a powerful, throwback approach to the four. Harrell doesn’t offer much range as a shooter, but can run the court and attack the rim with great ferocity. He is very important for the Rockets’ playoff aspirations. Harrell gives the pace-and-space Mike D’Antoni offense some much-needed bite in the low post.
Clint Capela is the real deal at center playing alongside Harrell, but won’t be able to go it alone in the ultra-physical NBA Playoffs. Houston can shoot all the 3-pointers it wants to, but should expect to lean more on Harrell come playoff time. If he can rebound, play reasonable defense and score high-percentage shots down low, Harrell will have a roll with the Rockets for a very long time.
It seems that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey knew that he had to create well-defined role for Harrell to succeed with this team. Harrell may never become a decent starter on a good NBA team, but can be a viable seventh or eighth man coming off the bench on a championship caliber one. He’s even shown the ability to spot start on occasion. Harrell’s not a great player, but he’s move valuable than he leads on.