In Charlotte, the Montrezl Harrell effect is already being felt | NBA

We had left him a little disappointed in Washington, where the season has taken a bad turn for him since his altercation with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Recovered by Charlotte before the “trade deadline”, Montrezl Harrell appeared reboosted and did quite well for his first game in his new colors on the side of Detroit, with 15 points at 7/9 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 assist decisive, 1 against and 1 interception in 22 minutes.

In the first flight to Detroit

In another context, another dynamic, the interior very quickly found the banana, he who hastened to take a commercial flight to join his new team, a sign of his desire to integrate quickly.

“It was done at the last minute, there were only a little cramped seats left”, he launched after the game about this crazy day, at least as much as the previous one. “I didn’t think so many people would come to Detroit today. But it was cool. I told them that I was ready to do anything to be part of the team, to come here and play with them”.

Montrezl Harrell very quickly projected himself on the continuation and the ambitions of the Hornets for this end of the season.

“I like to play, I like to be in basketball. I am lucky to practice this sport and to be able to call it my job. So why miss the opportunity to be here and acclimatize with my team? The idea was to come here and try to do everything for the team to win. The team has a balanced balance sheet. Some teams are packing their bags while waiting for the All-Star break. This is the time when we can sneak in and get four wins and put ourselves in a different situation, to fight for the playoffs again.”

The rest of the group already conquered

On and off the court, he has so far distinguished himself by his determination and his involvement. His first action, an authoritative tap dunk, set the tone. But beyond this first basket scored and the two big dunks that followed his entry, he proved to be efficient, active and determined, not hesitating to rush to relieve his new teammate James Bouknight for example, after the halftime buzzer.

A behavior that necessarily appeals to the rest of the workforce. “I already love Trez”, slipped LaMelo Ball, who also had a great evening. “He’s definitely a guy who brings the binder. I’ve seen it since I was a kid. He just brings a lot of energy, he keeps his teammates focused. We want to defend with him. He is a great player”.

Reunion with Terry Rozier

But the most enthusiastic was undoubtedly Terry Rozier, his former teammate in Louisville. The back even celebrated it by making his second career triple-double, at 25 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists. “F****n, I was happy. He’s my guy. We played two years together at university, we always stayed in touch. We talked about it a year or two ago. But we’re just happy to finally be able to take that step and that Charlotte was able to get her hands on it.”

The enthusiasm of the Hornets after this one-sided game will quickly be put to the test, since it is Memphis who will present themselves in Charlotte tonight. The atmosphere should also be there for the first home game of the native of Tarboro (North Carolina), now back at home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2mD7AvAS90