Joel Embiid, James Harden praise Montrezl Harrell after Sixers beat Hornets

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers have been looking to figure out the backup center spot all season long as they have been flip-flopping between Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed behind Joel Embiid.

In Sunday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Sixers turned to Harrell and he rewarded their faith. The veteran out of Louisville had nine points on 4-for-5 shooting and he also had four assists. He was a plus-6 in 12:57 of playing time.

That type of production from Harrell off the bench is something that the Sixers will continue to take and it’s crucial in order to allow Embiid to get the rest he needs.

“He was great,” said Embiid. “Offensively and defensively. That’s what we need whether it’s him, whether it’s Paul, that’s what we need from them. Just coming in, bringing energy offensively and defensively, rebounding is key, and then defensively, just try and do the best job possible based on the concepts that we have, but he was great. Need to keep that going.”

The Sixers have had a tough time trying to figure out who the backup center will be behind Embiid, but with the way Harrell impacted the game, maybe this is his case to be the consistent option for coach Doc Rivers to turn to.

“He impacted the game,” added James Harden of Harrell. “He had some nice defensive players, he took a charge, he had blocked shots, and then offensively, he finished around the rim, he did the things. He’s smart, he’s been in his league for a very long time so getting that chemistry back, that pick-and-roll back with him, we got some work to do, but these last few games was really a good start for us.”

Harrell and the Sixers will now look to move on to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday looking to build off this win.