Education
Originally Harrell committed to play college basketball for coach Seth Greenberg at Virginia Technical, but after Greenberg was fired, Harrell was released from his commitment and chose Louisville.
Originally Harrell committed to play college basketball for coach Seth Greenberg at Virginia Technical, but after Greenberg was fired, Harrell was released from his commitment and chose Louisville.
He played college basketball for the University of Louisville and was a key player on the Cardinals" 2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament championship team, and played a key role during the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Harrell was selected with the 32nd overall pick by Houston Rockets in the 2015 National Basketball Association draft. Harrell, a 6"8" power forward from Tarboro, North Carolina, starred at North Edgecombe High School before prepping for a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia.
There he led the team to a 38–1 record while averaging 25.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.
As a freshman, Harrell backed up power forward Chane Behanan, averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game. He played his best at the end of the season, scoring 20 points in the Cardinals" Big East Conference championship victory over Syracuse.
With Gorgui Dieng"s departure for the 2013 National Basketball Association draft, Harrell received recognition in the offseason leading to his sophomore year as one of the top returning players in the country. The Sporting News selected Harrell to the preseason All-America third team in its 2013-2014 college basketball preview magazine.
Harrell decided to stay for his junior season instead of opting for the National Basketball Association.
On June 25, 2015, Harrell was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 National Basketball Association draft.
He later joined the Rockets for the 2015 National Basketball Association Summer League where he averaged 16.5 points and eight rebounds in four games. On September 19, 2015, he signed a three-year deal with the Rockets. He made his debut for the Rockets in the team"s season opener against the Denver Nuggets on October 28, recording 8 points and 3 rebounds in a 105–85 loss.
Two days later, he scored 17 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.
On November 13, he made his first career start, scoring 5 points in just under 13 minutes of action, as the Rockets were defeated by the Denver Nuggets 107–98. During his rookie season, he has received multiple assignments to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets" Doctorate-League affiliate.