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Doc Rivers on Montrezl Harrell's return: 'No update, no timing'

The LA Clippers don't know when Montrezl Harrell is returning

The LA Clippers are almost at full strength, but they're still missing one key player - Montrezl Harrell. 

Harrell left the bubble on July 17 for a family emergency, which evolved into the death of his grandmother. Harrell stated on his Instagram story that he was very close with his grandmother, and is still grieving over the loss. 

When asked about a timetable for his return, Doc Rivers mentioned that there was none available. "No update, no timing," Rivers said.

Rivers had previously stated, “when he’s ready, he’ll come back. You can’t play if you're not right mentally because of the emotional part of it." Despite that statement being three days ago, that's clearly still the situation now. When Harrell is ready to return, the Clippers will welcome him with open arms, but they're not going to force any type of reunion.

As of right now, the LA Clippers have done a pretty decent job of playing without Harrell. They nearly beat the Lakers, and crushed the New Orleans Pelicans. If the Clippers can defeat the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks without him, then they'll be in pretty good shape from a seeding perspective. 

At the end of the day, the Clippers need Montrezl Harrell. He's a sixth man of the year candidate averaging: 18.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 BPG, 58 FG%, 27.8 MPG. That type of production is something players can temporarily step up to fix, but hard to replace in the long run.

We wish nothing but positive thoughts for Montrezl Harrell, and hope his family is doing well throughout this difficult time.