Fitter, stronger Harrell in peak shape for NBL26

Adelaide 36ers powerhouse Montrezl Harrell insists last season was just the warm-up, promising to unleash his best in NBL26 now that he feels in peak shape.

“I did that all off a reconstructed knee,” he said of his debut NBL campaign.

“I've had a full summer to go and rebuild myself and continue to strengthen my knee to continue to get better, in better shape and to be able to get back to where I wanted to.”

Harrell had a standout debut season in the NBL where he was selected to the All NBL Second Team. That was the first time the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year had been on the court since his ACL surgery.

“I feel like I'm in great shape, it's just more so just like getting my body back acclimated to being on this side of the world, coming from a whole different time zone where ... I'm 13 hours from the time zone that I was just staying in.

“It's gonna take a little bit of time to adjust to that, but as far as me as a player, I haven't stopped playing the game of basketball since I left Australia.”

The 31-year-old has touched back down in Adelaide and is hitting the floor running with a team that boasts incredible potential, led by five-time MVP Bryce Cotton.

“Oh, it was amazing man, just to see the group of guys we have from last year, it’s a bit of a different sort of vibe and a different energy,” he said.

“But it’s amazing to have guys getting out there competing hard, you know, inside the lines and then guys are hanging out afterwards.

“It's just all doing all things like that to build team camaraderie.”

While some 36ers teammates have spoken openly about expectations of a championship, Harrell is choosing to stay measured for now.

“Just flat out saying that we're going to win one, man, you don't know that. I'm not the type of player to just go out there and just say, ‘oh, we're winning one’.

“There’s 30 plus games and we’ve got to go out and.. (be) all locked in on the right mindset and the right mission, and, locked in to winning one, then we'll win one.

“But I'm not one of the ones, just predetermining things like that.

The 36ers, minus Harrell and Cotton, impressed in their final pre-season game with a 17-point win over the NBL1 South Select Team.

Read the full story here >> Rebuilt Harrell capable of improvement