If Kawhi Leonard and Paul George become the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the 2019-20 postseason, Montrezl Harrell seems confident he can play the valuable role of Dennis Rodman.
During an appearance on the “Knuckleheads” podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles this week, Harrell was asked to compare himself to a player from a past NBA era. He confidently said he is the modern day Rodman.
Montrezl Harrell says he’s the modern day Dennis Rodman:
"I’ve been telling people, I’m the modern day Rodman, for real. I’m the modern day Rodman. That’s it."
(Via Knuckle Heads Podcast) pic.twitter.com/7W4xIzMQEA
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) July 22, 2020
Judging by some of the reactions on social media, most people don’t agree. And you can understand why.
Aside from their height (they’re both 6-foot-7), Harrell and Rodman don’t have a whole lot in common on the court. Harrell’s best contributions to the Los Angeles Clippers this year have been as a scorer, as he is averaging 18.6 points per game. You could consider him an above average defender, but Harrell has averaged 7.1 rebounds per game this season and just 4.9 for his career. He hasn’t been named to an NBA All-Defensive team in five seasons as a pro.
Rodman was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time NBA All-Defensive First Team. He also led the league in rebounds seven times, which is remarkable given his size. The Clippers would probably be a lock to win the NBA title this year if Harrell were the modern day Rodman, but he’s not.
Of course, Harrell could be referring to all of Rodman’s off-court escapades that we learned about in the recent “The Last Dance” documentary. If that’s the case, the Clippers may need to keep a close eye on Harrell in Orlando.
