Montrezl Harrell Credits Teammates for Helping in Difficult Time

LA Clippers reserve Montrezl Harrell credited his teammates for supporting him while he was away from the bubble.

Transcript

00:00L.A. Clippers star reserve Montrezl Harrell returned to the floor Monday night after a

00:04month-long absence from the NBA campus in Orlando.

00:07He played just 15 minutes in L.A.'s Game 1 victory of the Dallas Mavericks, but the

00:11fact that he was even there in the first place is enough reason for fans to celebrate.

00:14With his way from the team, Harrell lost his grandmother, who he considered to be one of

00:18his closest friends.

00:20She introduced him to the game of basketball and was one of his biggest supporters and

00:23fans.

00:24On Tuesday, Harrell spoke to the media for the first time in over a month and discussed

00:28what it was like to go through the process, something he says was made easier with the

00:31help of his teammates, saying, quote,

00:33My teammates are a huge, huge uplifting factor at this time, at this whole process.

00:38From the first instance of when I went home, they checked on me every day, sent me text

00:42messages to keep my spirits high, keep my family in their prayers and well wishes.

00:46Harrell further credited his teammates for showing him they truly cared about him, pointing

00:50to phone calls and expressions of feelings as gestures that helped him to stay in the

00:54right mindset.

00:56Ultimately, it's just one more instance of this team showing just how tight knit it really

00:59is.

01:00There may be some issues with on-court chemistry this season, but that isn't and never really

01:06has been because these guys don't get along.

01:09Harrell has been the biggest factor in that regard all the way through.

01:12Fortunately, the Clippers are finally whole again, just in time for the postseason to

01:16begin.

01:17Monday's contest with the Mavericks marked the first time since March 8th that LA had

01:21a fully healthy roster available, and calling it that still feels like a stretch right now.

01:27Harrell was on a minute's restriction with this game, and he was going through his first

01:29NBA accident over five months, while Patrick Beverley and Landry Schammett looked rusty

01:34and spent a limited amount of time on the floor after missing a handful of the team's

01:37seeding games.

01:38There's no question the Clippers will continue to improve and grow together as the playoffs

01:42continue, and the closes that Harrell spoke about should only expedite that process.

01:47LA will play Game 2 of its series at Dallas on Wednesday, August 19th at 9pm Eastern Time.