NBA
Sixers’ Montrezl Harrell suffered a torn ACL, meniscus during an offseason workout
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated03 Aug 2023
Originally, Montrezl Harrell declined a $2.7 million player option in 2023-24 with the 76ers. After some reconsideration, Harrell decided to sign a one-year deal to remain with Philly next season. The 29-year-old had swelling in his right knee following a recent workout. To be safe, the Sixers got an MRI done on Harrell’s knee. It revealed that he had a torn ACL and torn meniscus in his right knee. This almost certainly will make him miss the entire regular season.
Harrell signed a one-year deal with the 76ers less than a month ago. While he didn’t play a huge role for the team last season, it always hurts to lose veteran depth. The former second-round pick was Joel Embiid’s backup to start last season but was phased out by Paul Reed. It’s not clear how Harrell injured his knee, but his 2023-24 season is likely over before it truly started.
Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report on Harrell’s injury yesterday.
76ers center Montrezl Harrell has a torn ACL and meniscus after undergoing an MRI Wednesday to assess recent right knee swelling following his offseason workouts.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2023
Montrezl Harrell to likely miss all of the 2023-24 season for the Philadelphia 76ers
The 2022-23 season was Harrell’s first year with the 76ers. His playing time was limited due to the fact that he was the league MVP’s backup. Harrell’s (11.6) minutes and (5.6) points per game were the lowest of his career since his rookie season in 2015-16. Harrell saw less playing time as the 2022-23 season progressed.
Philadelphia started to use Paul Reed as Embiid’s backup and Harrell slid even further down the depth chart. Additionally this offseason, the Sixers signed free agent big man Mo Bamba. He was going to see solid minutes next season regardless of whether Harrell was playing. With the serious injury that Harrell suffered, Bamba should play a nice role off the bench.
Doc Rivers was fired by the Sixes this offseason and Nick Nurse is now the new head coach. Philly has been bounced in the second round of the last three postseason. They are trying to get over that hump and get back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 20+ years.
