LA Clippers Big Montrezl Harrell Wins 2019-2020 NBA Hustle Award
LA Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell was officially recognized with the NBA's Hustle Award for the 2019-2020 season on Wednesday, the league announced in a memo.
Per the announcement, the award is given to the player that "makes the energy and effort plays to help his team win throughout the season," with an emphasis on hustle stats. Essentially, it's given to the player that puts their body on the line more than anyone else — something we saw Harrell do plenty of throughout the year.
Previous winners of the award include Marcus Smart, Amir Johnson and Patrick Beverley.
Harrell has long been praised for his motor, and the numbers show that the praise isn't misplaced. Through March 11, he ranked at or near the top of numerous hustle categories, including defensive box outs (first), charges drawn (first), all box outs (fourth) and contested shots (11th). Harrell ranked 28th in screen assists and 31st in offensive box outs as well.
These aren't stats that show up in the box score, but they're arguably just as important. A drawn charge, for example, forces a turnover and comes with the opportunity of wiping a made bucket off the slate.
Harrell was also named the 2019-2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year for the first time of his career, beating out teammate Lou Williams and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder.
Harrell averaged career-high marks in points (18.6) and rebounds (7.1) in less than 28 minutes per game. And while that success didn't necessarily carry over into the postseason, there's no denying that Harrell is one of the hardest-working players in the game today.
