“Not Playing with Enough Energy”: LA Clippers Forward Exposes Lackluster Approach of Houston Rockets During his Initial NBA Years

It wasn’t the best of starts in the NBA for current LA Clippers player Montrezl Harrell. He came in 2015 when Houston Rockets picked him in the first round of the draft.

He never really got going during his two years with the club. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Rockets’ D-League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers. It was, in fact, something that Harrell kept asking for during his stint with the Rockets because of the lack of first-team action.

“I spent a lot of my time, man, asking to go play in the G League. Man my whole first year and a half man,” he said on the Knuckleheads podcast, talking to Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles,

The Rockets have last won a title in 1995 when Hakeem Olajuwon led them to two consecutive titles. During recent times, they have only started making consistently to the playoffs only since the addition of James Harden. Over the last few seasons, they have been trying hard to win the championship. It could be one of the reasons why the likes of Harrell couldn’t get much action.

Perhaps it also explains why he did not remember his time with the Rockets too fondly during his podcast session.

“It was just weird sitting over there on the hurdles man. It was like we are not playing with enough energy,” Harrell said. “I am just sitting and watching man, it’s just like it’s frustrating ’cause it as that we should’ve been or we came in taking lightly and then as the game and they there to win. Then you know, we go back to the locker room and the coach used to tell us of lack of competitiveness. I just shower and get ready for the next game.”

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Harrell came to LA Clippers after two years at Houston Rockets

Harrell has had more opportunities since moving to LA Clippers in 2017. After two years with the Rockets, Harell joined the Clippers as a part of the trade deal that saw Chris Paul move to Houston. Harrell has made 63 appearances in the 2019/20 season, scoring at an average of 186 points per game shooting at 58% from field goals.