The Houston Rockets are coming off a great season in which they exceeded expectations and reached the Western Conference Finals. Going into the 2015-16 season their roster might be better as they added Ty Lawson to the mix but there are still some question marks especially in the frontcourt. With the frontcourt questions in mind the Rockets are reportedly finalizing a deal with their second round pick Montrezl Harrell, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
The terms of the reported contract aren't fully clear at this point but the report says that it will likely be a three year deal. Harrell was selected by the Rockets with the second pick of the second round (32nd overall) out of Louisville where he played for three seasons. In his final season at Louisville Harrell was one of the best players in the entire nation as he averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game before declaring for the NBA Draft.
Harrell is a bit undersized at 6 foot-8 but he makes up for his lack of size with unbelievable athleticism and he has the propensity for highlight reel dunks. Harrell came into college as a raw talent but left college as a more polished offensive player who could finish down low and step out to hit mid-range, and sometimes long-range, jump shots. Harrell does still struggle from the free throw line (so he will fit right in with the Rockets) but he will be able to bring excellent rebounding and some scoring to the table in Houston.
Harrell will be the 17th player to sign a contract with the Rockets but he is likely to make the team as he was an early second round pick and has a chance to contribute as a rookie. Dwight Howard will start at center but the only backup they have behind him is Clint Capela. At power forward they have Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones but Motiejunas is still recovering from back surgery and his availability early on is a question mark. Harrell at the very least will provide depth should any of these players get hurt but he could else get some minutes if Motiejunas or anyone else isn't available to start the year.
