ON the eve of the 2024/25 National Basketball League (NBL) season, the Adelaide 36ers have secured a huge addition to the team, adding former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell to their frontcourt.

Harrell joins the team as an injury replacement player for recent recruit Jarell Martin, who will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Martin was expected to be a huge part of Adelaide’s gameplan this season, but will be sidelined for the first month at least.

However, Harrell is a massive signing for the Sixers, and one of the biggest names to join the NBL in competition history.

Although he will be joining on a short-term deal given he is a replacement player, Adelaide has the flexibility to keep him around longer if it decides he is a good fit, although a local player will need to be deactivated.

The six-foot-seven power forward will bring plenty of physicality to the frontcourt, a reputation he has seriously accrued throughout his impressive career. At his best, Harrell was one of the most productive big men in the NBA, and was a valued player on some strong teams.

Drafted to the Houston Rockets in 2015, he spent 10 seasons in the NBA, playing for several teams and progressing into a serious force in the paint. His most successful stint came with the Los Angeles Clippers, with whom he won the award for the NBA’s best sixth man.

In that campaign, he averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, playing 27 minutes and announcing himself as a powerful inside scorer. He always brings energy to the court and is not afraid to get in the face of the opposition, so he should ruffle some feathers at NBL level.

He missed the 2023/24 NBA season due to an ACL and meniscus tear, and most recently suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers. Returning to the NBA seemed on the cards, before bringing his talents to Australian shores for the upcoming NBL season.

Adelaide’s first game will take place next Sunday against the Sydney Kings, and Harrell should feature in the starting lineup.