Lakers’ Montrezl Harrell thrives against Orlando after not playing in last game

Montrezl Harrell leaped between two Orlando Magic defenders, collected an offensive rebound and quickly spring-boarded right back up for a two-handed dunk while being fouled. The Lakers center then let out a primal yell, flexed and mean-mugged.

In that third-quarter moment Monday night in Orlando, Fla., it was as if Harrell were unleashing all the energy he had stored up from not playing in the previous game at Dallas on Saturday night.

He was a pro about the situation, knowing that Lakers coach Frank Vogel wants to play all three centers this season, that Andre Drummond is the starter and Marc Gasol and Harrell are the reserves.

Still, Harrell explained that he’s a “competitor” and as such he “always wants to be out there on the floor.”

So, when his name was called, Harrell competed the only way he knows how — with energy.

And it was his burst of force that helped Harrell produce 18 points off the bench in the Lakers’ 114-103 win. He shot seven for 10 from the field and grabbed five rebounds.

“It’s just one of those things you have to learn to deal with, man,” Harrell said on a videoconference. “But I’ve been in this position before, man. I came into this league and I played behind two centers in Dwight [Howard] and Nene in Houston. And I’ve been around veteran guys who taught me how to take this game as a pro.”

Harrell had played in all 59 games this season for the Lakers until the Dallas game, when he picked up a DNP (did not play).

Vogel used Gasol as the backup behind Drummond instead, and Harrell just sat in his seat.

His teammates noticed how Harrell took it all in stride and then produced when Vogel put him in the game against the Magic.

“@TREZZ24 WAY TO BE YOU!!!,” LeBron James posted on his Instagram account after the game.

“I had great veterans throughout this league in Trevor Ariza and guys like Lou Will [Williams], so it’s about being a pro, man,” Harrel said. “It’s about doing the things, what the team needs and what the coach is asking me to do at that point and time. That’s all I did. I still continued to do my extra work off the court as I normally do because, at the end of the day, I’m a worker. It’s how I’ve been able to get into this game and stay in it, and I’m going to just keep on doing all the little things like I always do.”

There has been a decline in Harrell’s statistics in April when compared with March, when he averaged 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 28.9 minutes per game.

In 12 games this month, Harrell is averaging 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 18.2 minutes.

“A lot of those situations you talked about where he didn’t have big nights, teams were doing things to take him out of the game — whether it was not helping as much on the pick-and-roll game or double teaming in the low post,” Vogel said. “We weren’t seeing any of those situations tonight and were able to get him the ball in scoring positions. So, I don’t feel like his production had dipped even if his numbers dipped, because when he’s drawing that kind of attention, it’s opened up things for other guys. So, we did a good job getting him the ball in scoring position tonight.”

When Harrell scored in the fourth quarter and was fouled on the play that he converted into a three-point play, he pumped his fists in a circular motion.

And before he was removed from the game later in the fourth, Harrell took a charge before grabbing a seat on the bench with 3:44 left.

“I’m going to play with the same energy, the same passion every game I’m out there,” Harrell said. “Just leave it all out on the floor and do the little things and all the small things … for our team to win and help our team.”