King James Gospel
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The Cleveland Cavaliers should sign Montrezl Harrell to an offer sheet

By Dan Gilinsky

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: Head Coach Doc Rivers and Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers talk during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: Head Coach Doc Rivers and Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers talk during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 11: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers goes to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 11: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers goes to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Harrell as a scoring option

The Cavaliers no longer have Jeff Green on the bench, who was a bit of a surprise last season, as he contributed 10.8 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting. That was a major reason Cleveland had the fifth-best bench scoring output in the regular season, per nba.com.

It will be a key focus next season for head coach Tyronn Lue to figure out the most efficient use of the bigs, and how to incorporate big and small lineups into spurts of games without James’ presence.

Considering Ante Zizic won’t be on the floor at the same time as Kevin Love, and does not have the defensive capability of Nance and Thompson via switching pick-and-roll, the Cavs might be wise to add another two-way rotational piece to the mix.

Taking a flyer on Montrezl Harrell (still currently of the Los Angeles Clippers), would be a sensible move.

A limited option throughout his first two seasons in the NBA as a Houston Rocket, Harrell made a name for himself this past season as a Chris Paul trade throw-in for the Clippers. When bigs play with James Harden in Houston’s current Mike D’Antoni system, they pretty much just set screens (mainly on-ball) and catch lobs at the basket.

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For the most part, that’s what Harrell did in his time with the Rockets, and was effective in that role, which is fine. He only had five fewer dunks than LeBron in the regular season in way less minutes, per CBS Sports.

This past season, he placed in the 95th percentile among pick-and-roll scoring roll men, per Synergy, but that’s not all he does.

This past year, he showed that he’s got more in his arsenal than just diving to the rim. He put up 11.0 points per game on 63.5 percent shooting as an interior terror.

Harrell was able to use his quickness and athleticism to be uber-efficient (with a PER of 24.7) in his playing time for head coach Doc Rivers and company, as he blew by many of his often less athletic opponents, and finished at a high clip both in settled situations and on the break. He displayed a nice hook shot that was a solid counter to his violent drives to the middle of the paint and baseline as well.

He was one of the best bench microwave scorers in the Association, as he was given a better opportunity and more usage, particularly after Blake Griffin was traded to the Detroit Pistons, as was demonstrated by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley.

"“His 11 points per game don’t jump off the page until you realize he only averaged 17 minutes, at least 3.4 fewer than any other double-digit scorer. After the All-Star break, he squeezed 14.6 points (on 65.8 percent shooting) into just 20.1 minutes per contest.”"