PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have tried to figure out the backup center spot all season. They have flip-flopped using Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed behind Joel Embiid.
In Sunday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Sixers turned to Harrell, and he rewarded that move. The veteran out of Louisville had nine points on 4-for-5 shooting and four assists. He was a plus-6 in 12:57 of playing time.
That type of production from Harrell off the bench is something the Sixers will take, and it’s crucial for Embiid to get the rest he needs.
“He was great,” said Embiid. “Offensively and defensively. That’s what we need whether it’s him, whether it’s Paul, that’s what we need from them. Just coming in, bringing energy offensively and defensively, rebounding is key, and then defensively, just try and do the best job possible based on the concepts that we have, but he was great. Need to keep that going.”
The Sixers have had difficulty figuring out who the backup center will consistently be. With the way Harrell affected the game, maybe this is his case to be the consistent option for coach Doc Rivers to turn to.
“He impacted the game,” added James Harden of Harrell. “He had some nice defensive players, he took a charge, he had blocked shots, and then offensively, he finished around the rim, he did the things. He’s smart, he’s been in his league for a very long time so getting that chemistry back, that pick-and-roll back with him, we got some work to do, but these last few games was really a good start for us.”
Harrell and the Sixers will look to move on to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday looking to build off this win.
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