Montrezl Harrell Rejoining LA Clippers in Orlando Bubble
After leaving the NBA campus in Orlando on July 17 to tend to a family emergency, LA Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell is officially heading back to the bubble.
The star reserve posted an update to his Instagram story in the middle of the night, posting an image of a black screen with the caption: "See you soon #Orlando."
On Twitter, Harrell hinted at his feelings toward returning to the bubble, saying, "I'm a whole different kill now."
He's one of a handful of Clippers players that have left the bubble in recent days, including Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams. All were excused to leave the campus to tend to family emergencies.
Getting Harrell back will be big for the Clippers, as the team is currently depleted at the center position. Joakim Noah looked fresh in his debut on Wednesday afternoon in his 15 minutes of action, but he likely wouldn't have played that long had Harrell and Ivica Zubac been available.
On top of the positional help, Harrell also happens to be one of LA's most consistent contributors. On the year, the 26-year-old is averaging a career-high 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game — figures that rank third and fourth on the team, respectively.
Based on the timing of his return, we shouldn't expect to see Harrell play in Monday's scrimmage between the Clippers and Sacramento Kings, as he'll still need to quarantine for a minimum of four days. However, there's a chance he could be ready to go for LA's opening-night contest with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 30 — so long as he undergoes a daily PCR test and tested negative for the virus for the last seven days, per NBA protocol.
In addition to Harrell, it's been confirmed that Zubac is on his way to Orlando to join the Clippers as well, meaning LA will have its full rotation of big men back in no time.
Now, it should only be a matter of time before the Clippers have their full roster available for a potential run at the NBA title.
