Phoenix Suns Draft Preview: Montrezl Harrell

#Top5Protected Report will take a look at draft possibilities for the Phoenix Suns both with their own first-round pick and the Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick, which the Suns will own it falls outside of the top five. I'll be bringing you frequent posts on all of the players graded around this range of the draft and their fits in Phoenix. We start first with a player more likely to be selected with the Suns own pick.

Montrezl Harrell

PF, 6'8", 240lbs, Junior (21 years old in January)

2014-2015 statistics: 16.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.1 BPG, 1.0, SPG, 59.6 FG%, 58% FT%, 31.2 MPG

Montrezl Harrell has an elite level of energy and athleticism to his game that he has been slowly polishing in now his third year at Louisville. Harrell is a slightly undersized power forward, but the freakish motor he combines with his 7'3" wingspan, strength, speed, and leaping ability make him an intriguing draft prospect. However, the evolution of his game in the past two years at Louisville and the consistent layers he adds onto himself as a basketball player make him a true lottery prospect in the NBA.

Athleticism and Motor

The first place to start with Harrell is how much of an absolute monster he is. Harrell is 6'8" and earns every part of his 240-pound frame. He's a very strong and chiseled man who has been bullying players in college since he got there. While we've seen our renditions of the "undersized powerful power forward" in the NBA, Harrell is different. He can do things like this in pregame warm-ups and it is quite honestly scary how fast he is for a man of that size and bulk.

The thing that brings that package together for Harrell is how hard he works. He might have the highest motor of anyone in college basketball and he simply wants it more than you. He will rebound and dunk anything around the rim with such ferocity that I think if you saw him at a grocery store and tossed a cantaloupe in the air he would rise up and throw it down out of sheer reflex. Harrell runs the floor all the time and truly excels in transition. He works so freaking hard on the court and does a great job of establishing a physical battle with anyone down low.  His work rate is a priceless trait for a guy with his skill set.

Offense

Harrell's not really a guy you need to run a play for, but he's shown the consistent improvement to warrant a touch every now and then. Harrell has very basic footwork for a big man and doesn't possess an array of moves down low. He basically has a right hook, a running hook, a face-up blow by, or the "I am stronger than you" back down to dunk on your soul. It's not complicated, but it's very encouraging how his touch on the hook has improved and it's something that will eventually be a consistent part of his game.

Perhaps the part you should be most excited about with Harrell is his developing mid-range jumper. He's got some clunky history with the form on his jumper that sometimes comes out to say hello, but when it doesn't that shot sure looks pretty. Finesse isn't something you'd normally associate with a player like Harrell, but he's really working hard to add elements to his offensive game that would suggest he has multiple elements besides ending lives around the basket.

Harrell does have some flaws offensively. That post-up game and jumper are still very new and with that comes some errors every now and then. However, how quickly he has added those parts to his game and how good it looks sometimes suggests to me that they could be a real part of his game by the time he's playing in the NBA. His touch around the basket when he's not dunking on your entire family needs a bit of work (length presents issues) and while he has a very good read and understanding of passing lanes, his passes themselves are very elementary.

Harrell came into this season with a three-point shot that was supposedly ready to go, but he's only 4-20 this year and that was a little too fast. Still, the fact that he is already working on this shot along with everything else is insane. The work Harrell puts in off of the court as well shows in the improvement's he makes. The evolution of his offensive game shows that he has the ability to already consistently improve.

Defense

Harrell's off the charts work on the floor already makes him a prime candidate for being a special defensive player and a lot of the things he's done at Louisville show that he could get there. Rick Pitino running a lot of zone has had Harrell learning a ton about playing defense both on and off the ball. He moves very well laterally and has a great understanding of how to use his quick feet and strong chest. He's spent a decent amount of time playing defense on the perimeter and has been pretty good at it for a man of his size. Post defense has a lot to do with strength and work ethic so you don't have to worry about that with Harrell. Pitino has really developed him as a defender with the zone looks and things like denying the post and taking charges is more finesse to Harrell's game that will surprise you. Oh yeah, and he blocks and rebounds everything on that end too. He has some great basketball IQ for the type of player he is and that is a lethal combination defensively.

Fit in Phoenix

Harrell's a perfect fit for the Suns in my opinion. The Suns have been lacking a true rebounder for a while now and Harrell is just that. He would add so much heart and hustle to this team that I think P.J. Tucker would try to adopt him. Markieff Morris' great offensive game still lacks the oomph down low and that's what Harrell brings. He's a terrific fit alongside Alex Len defensively, on the glass, and he could work for everything on the inside offensively while Len works that face-up game on the outside. He's an incredible fit for the fast-paced transition game and the potential for his jump shot could be an added bonus.

Currently Harrell's stock sits in the middle of the first round so the Suns own first-round pick is the right fit for him. He's the type of big that you go to war with and is exactly the brand of power you would want to build around a two point guard system. I've been emotionally invested in his arrival in Phoenix since the start of last college basketball season so I am obviously in on Harrell as a Sun. It looks like both the fit as a player and value will be there in the middle of the first round. His stock could rise though and we don't really know where that Lakers pick will land until lottery night, so keep him in mind for there as well.

Who do you want to see next? Let us know in the comments.