Montrezl Harrell Returns to Bubble; Could Play Against Oklahoma City Thunder
Early Monday morning, LA Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell took a Michael Jordan-esque approach to announce his return to the NBA bubble in Orlando.
Harrell tweeted, "I'm back!!!!!!!!" around 4:00 a.m. ET, a return nearly a month in the making.
The star reserve originally left the bubble on July 17 to tend to a family matter. It didn't seem like he would be gone long at first, especially since Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams were dealing with similar situations. However, Harrell's status became unclear after his grandmother passed away.
Now that he's back, Harrell will undergo a four-day quarantine (he tested negative for the coronavirus each day he was away from the bubble) before he's able to rejoin the team.
Given the timing of his return, there's a chance that Harrell could suit up for the Clippers again before the Playoffs begin on Aug. 18. LA will face-off with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday — their final seeding game — and Harrell should be eligible to play.
But regardless of when he makes his bubble debut, this is a huge gain for the Clippers. Harrell ranks third on the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game and is tied for second in rebounding with Kawhi Leonard. Surprisingly, he only ranks fifth in minutes per game.
Harrell was also named a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year Award on Saturday for the second year in a row, along with Williams and Thunder guard Dennis Schroder.
The Clippers and Thunder will meet on Friday, Aug. 14. Tip-off time is to be determined.
