WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 28: Montrezl Harrell #6 of the Washington Wizards celebrates in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena on October 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. 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. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Washington Wizards: Meet Montrezl Harrell the MVP candidate
Montrezl Harrell #6 of the Washington Wizards reacts after a play against the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards have been one of the more surprising teams in the NBA this season. They are currently 9-3 and sit alone atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Going into the season, a lot of people expected Bradley Beal to request a trade at some point this year. However, with the way Washington has been playing, he’s more likely to sign an extension at this point.
Beal himself hasn’t even been having a great season. His scoring and efficiency numbers are down, yet the team looks better than it has in years.
This is because of the depth he finally has around him. A lot of players have been playing great basketball, but the one that stands out the most is Montrezl Harrell.
Meet Montrezl Harrell the MVP candidate for the Washington Wizards
After a quiet season with the Lakers last year, Harrell has come alive once again this season. He’s second on the Wizards in points, but he’s making the biggest impact.
He’s averaging 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 64.5 percent from the field. He’s even chipping in 1.1 blocks a game as well.
Basketball-Reference has an MVP tracker which they update daily, listing each players’ stats and current probability (based on their calculations) to win MVP. Harrell is fifth on that list.
According to them, he has a 3.3 percent chance to win the award. The players above him are Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and Jimmy Butler. That’s some pretty elite company to be in.
Harrell leads the Washington Wizards in win shares at the moment with 2.4, while Bradley Beal has only chipped in 0.3. Spencer Dinwiddie, Daniel Gafford, and Kyle Kuzma are second, third, and fourth on the list, respectively.
The craziest part about Harrell’s season is that he’s doing all of this whilst coming off the bench. He’ll be a top candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award, which he has won already just a couple of years ago with the Clippers.
His impact has been massive this season, and the Wizards look like a dangerous team right now. They should easily find themselves back in the playoffs at this rate.
He may not be the superstar Beal is, but Harrel is leading this Washington Wizards team right now. He deserves way more credit than he has been getting.
