Clippers big man Harrell named NBA’s Sixth Man of Year

LA Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell was named the Sixth Man of the Year as the NBA’s top reserve in 2019-2020, the league said Friday, September 4 (Saturday, September 5, Philippine time).

Harrell claimed the award for the first time after finishing third in the voting last season.

The forward-center received 58 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcaster, earning a total of 397 points.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder of Germany finished in second place with 328 points – receiving 35 first-place votes.

Harrell’s Clippers teammate Lou Williams – a three-time winner of the award – was third in the voting and received 7 first-place votes.

To be eligible for the Sixth Man Award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started in games played through March 11, when the coronavirus pandemic brought the season to a halt.

Seeding and playoff games in the league’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida, when play resumed did not count toward the award.

From the start of the season through March 11, Harrell averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.14 blocked shots in 27.8 minutes in 63 games, just two of them starts.

In games played off the bench during that time, Harrell ranked second in the NBA in scoring with 18.4 points per game and fifth in rebounding with 7 rebounds per game.

He also shot 58% from the field in all games played through March 11, the 10th-best mark in the NBA.

During that span, Harrell recorded a league-leading 11 double-doubles and had 4 games with at least 30 points. He had 10 games of 25 or more points and twice scored 34 points off the bench.

The 26-year-old, now trying to help the Clippers against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, has spent the last 3 seasons with Los Angeles, who acquired him in a trade with the Houston Rockets in June 2017.

This marks the third straight season and fifth time in 7 years that a Clippers player has scooped the Sixth Man award, with Williams winning the last two. – Rappler.com