“It’s noise”: Harrell refuses to buy into hype

They’re loaded with talent and the spotlight’s on, but Montrezl Harrell isn’t buying into the hype surrounding the Adelaide 36ers.

"I mean, it is exactly what it is. It is noise,” Harrell told Derek Rucker during an NBL Now chat from Las Vegas.

"Swear it doesn't matter. I haven't thought about anything anybody said about how our team is going to be in the NBL.”

With Bryce Cotton and Zylan Cheatham locked in, and the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year back for another run, Adelaide’s roster is undeniably stacked.

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But talent alone isn’t enough. Plenty of teams have looked good on paper and fallen short. Unless the 36ers can come together as one, the old saying still holds weight: a team of champions will never beat a champion team.

Harrell brings more swagger than almost anyone in the league. But he is not concerned with expectations. For him, belief is built in the gym, not handed out before tip-off.

“We’re excited to see what we can accomplish as a group and what we can bring to the club, but as far as me worrying about how it’s going to work or what people say, how does anybody really know that?

“How are people going to say we’re not going to be able to defend or do this or that? You don’t know. We haven’t been in the gym together. You haven’t seen Flynn (Cameron) and Isaac (White) and the other guys out there with us.

“So how can you say it’s not going to work? We’re going to get down there, get in the gym, and see how we gel as a group and who we’re going to be as a club.

“From my years in the NBA and playing on multiple teams, it’s never about what people perceive you to be. At the end of the day, only the 12 to 15 guys in that locker room can play the game. So we’ll see when it comes time for the Blitz. If we can’t gel together, then fine. But don’t be the same people who change your tune if we do something special."

Last year, Harrell arrived late and still made the All-NBL Second Team. With a clean slate and a deeper squad, he’s back for more.

"Y’all thought we couldn’t do it. Y’all thought we couldn’t gel. Y’all didn’t know anything about us as an organisation, because we didn’t even know yet,” he added.

“We hadn’t had time to put in that work. Last year I came into the NBL without any pre-season or anything. I had to jump straight into the role.

"I didn’t have time to gel with the guys. They had been there. They played in the Blitz, been to the Gold Coast, played pre-season games. They had a swing of things. Then the season started and they had to shift things when I arrived.

"Our mindset is to come in, work, and have fun during the season while doing something special.

“We want to win a championship for the Adelaide 36ers.

“Bryce has been in this league nine years and won five MVPs. Zylan has come in … he saw Bryce join the club, saw me return, and wanted to be part of it.

“That shows people want to be part of what we’re building. I can’t wait to get it started. I can’t wait to see those arenas packed out. I feel like every game we play this year might be a sellout."

The 2025 NBA Summer League starts from July 11, Australian time, with exclusive interviews and insights available on the NBL App and NBL.com.au.