Against the vast majority of college teams, Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell shows like a lottery pick. At 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, his size is eclipsed by his high motor, instincts on the offensive glass and ability to play above the rim. Against Kentucky, though, Harrell looked more like a guy trying to figure things out, and it’s certainly fair to wonder what kind of role he would play if and when he makes it to the NBA.

Harrell this season: 16.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals on 61 percent shooting

Harrell on Saturday: 10 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block on 4–for-9 shooting

The sequence below is a good example of the problem Harrell faced against the Wildcats. He looks to be in prime position to convert an offensive rebound, except there are three 6-foot-10-or-taller guys — Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson and Trey Lyles — putting him in jail. Big men are taught to put their hands straight up and make the offensive player score among the trees. It’s hard to score when you can’t see the rim:

Almost all of the success Harrell had around the rim on Saturday came on pump fakes, when he was able to get the bigger Kentucky player into the air and draw the contact:

When the Kentucky bigs didn’t bite, it was hard for Harrell to do much damage around the rim. The Wildcats’ cumulative size and length pushed Harrell away from the rim, forcing him to take shots like this:

Harrell has been trying to incorporate a three-point shot into his game this season with mixed results. He started strong, with three 3s in Louisville’s opener against Minnesota, but he is just 1–for-18 since. The shot is a novelty for him at the college level; he can still put his head down and bully smaller players around the basket when his jumper isn’t falling. When he’s playing against tougher and larger competition (i.e. NBA players), though, the ability to connect from long range is more of a necessity. In this sequence, Marcus Lee (6-foot-10, 220 pounds, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan) doesn’t really respect the shot fake, which allows him to recover for the block on the drive:

Despite his struggles creating his own shot, though, Harrell still found a way to impact the game. As a rebounder, he’s already NBA-ready; a rare combination of motor and athleticism, a la Kenneth Faried. Even when he doesn’t get the offensive rebound, Harrell does a great job of keeping balls alive by battling against bigger players:

It’s tough to get a great feel for Harrell’s individual defense. Pitino runs a bizarre hybrid of a full-court press and a trapping zone with man-to-man principles. Louisville is always one of the most difficult teams in the country to prepare for due to its unique style and the frenetic pace at which the Cardinals play.