'How to stop Harrell': Phoenix

He’s called the “Monsta” for a reason and he can be an unstoppable force on the court, but South East Melbourne believe they know how to stop Montrezl Harrell from dominating on Saturday night.

Simply put, the Phoenix plan to sap his energy.

“I think a big one for Montrezl is try to limit energy plays that he would create,” Jordi Hunter said on the The Phoenix Files podcast.

“Montrezl is 6’7, 6’8 so you try to be as big as possible; stand in his way, take away the hand that he prefers … there are certain players around the league - often it’s deadly shooters - they can really take the energy out of an entire team and juice up their own guys.”

🎙️ “We have a cheat code.” - AC Luke Brennan and Jordi hunter discuss how to stop the force that is @monstatrezz 🔥

Listen to the full The Phoenix Files episode, thanks to ANZ Explorer 👇

Spotify: https://t.co/zOUnoJI6wz
Apple Podcast: https://t.co/W5y0eqKGjq pic.twitter.com/AUCJaRVHu1

— South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) December 18, 2024

While stopping Harrell in his tracks is no easy task, Phoenix assistant coach Luke Brennan knows it has to be a team effort.

“It’s also about limiting the easy buckets. Good basketballers are going to score regardless of what you do … It’s limiting the offensive rebound put-backs, letting them get on the free throw line,” he said.

“… for them (Adelaide) coming into our gym it’s really important for them to be up and about. I have no doubt that if we can limit those highlight, energy plays and we can limit them, then that hopefully can stop the vibes from getting too high.”

The open-air game between the Phoenix and 36ers tips-off at 8pm AEDT on Saturday, live on ESPN.