76ers: How Lou Williams Helped Montrezl Harrell Early On

Montrezl Harrell credits Lou Williams for helping him improve his mentality.

With Joel Embiid out out for the last two games, many probably expected Doc Rivers to roll with Montrezl Harrell in the starting lineup. That hasn’t been the case. And for Harrell, that was a shockingly ideal scenario.

You might think every player wants to start in the NBA. But Doc Rivers’ “be a star in your role” message lands with the 28-year-old veteran as he takes advantage of the pros that come with entering the game after tip-off.

“I like to choose to come off the bench more than starting because you get to see the game,” Harrell explained. “You get to see how the refs are calling it in the beginning. You get to see if they are calling the little ticky-tack fouls or how the pace of the game is going. You get to see where you can go in and impose your will and help the team in the areas we need help in. So, honestly, I actually like coming off the bench a lot more.”

Being in the NBA since 2015, Harrell has appeared in nearly 500 games. Although he’s averaged 21 minutes on the court throughout his career, Harrell has only started in 34 matchups. While he admits it wasn’t always easy to embrace coming off the bench as a younger version of himself desired to start, Harrell credits former Sixers guard Lou Williams for helping him change the mentality.

“I actually was able to have to learn that mindset a little bit with my best friend Lou Williams,” Harrell explained. “He’s a guy that’s been doing this in this league at that level for a long time. Just being able to be around somebody like him, listening to the mindset of you know how to approach the game coming off the bench instead of starting. … Being around him, he taught me a lot of those things to see in the game as opposed to, ‘Man, I should be starting.’ Nah, man. It don’t matter. Only thing that’s different in the starting lineup is when the lights go out, they call your name out.”

Playing in over 1,000 games, Williams has just 122 starts to his name. The former second-round pick found longevity and success in the NBA coming off the bench, earning three Sixth Man of the Year awards. Like Williams, Harrell has a Sixth Man of the Year nod as well, which he picked up when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers playing for Doc Rivers and alongside Williams. 

Not every team is fortunate to have a productive veteran that’s willing to come off the bench with a positive mindset on the situation, but the Sixers have Harrell, who is clearly open to staying in that role even when their starting center is out. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.