Montrezl Harrell reassigned to the D-League

The Rockets reassigned Montrezl Harrell to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers today, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.

Rockets sending Montrezl Harrell to the Vipers of the D-League. has played just two minutes in past three games.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 23, 2016

Harrell had seemingly cracked the rotation a little over a week ago, playing double digit minutes in three straight games before falling back out of the rotation starting on March 18th.

The emergence of Michael Beasley as a high volume bench scorer and the increasing good health of Donatas Motiejunas has left little court time for Harrell, and the Rockets wanted to keep him active and playing.

It is a bit curious that coach J.B. Bickerstaff hasn't been able to find minutes for Harrell, considering that neither D-mo nor Beasley carry a similar skill set, and Harrell's defensive presence would seem to be needed in a phase of the Rockets' game that's struggled with impact and consistency all season long.

But with the Rockets teetering on the brink of the postseason and Bickerstaff coaching for his Rockets' life at the moment, he likely feels more comfortable rolling with the veterans down the final stretch of the regular season.

Harrell's averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds and played 9.8 minutes per game in 38 appearances for the Rockets this season, including one start.

He's been a force during his time in the D-League, averaging 24.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game in 9 appearances with the Vipers.

Barring injury, this may be the last we've seen of Montrezl with the Rockets until next season.

Montrezl Harrell's rookie report