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After the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Dallas Mavericks on March 2, Sixers’ backup center Paul Reed took to Twitter to openly question a foul that was called on him in which he made “contact” with Christian Wood on an attempted three.
“@OfficialNBARefs, how is this a foul? Can you please explain! I clearly gave him more than enough space to land, so no need to fall,” Reed tweeted.
Less than an hour later, Reed clarified that his question was more about making sure he doesn’t play fewer minutes than anything else.
“I understand referees are human and make mistakes… aint nobody perfect (I’m) just asking so I can know what I need to do differently so (I don’t) lose my minutes,” Reed tweeted.
That foul gave Wood three free throw attempts, which he only made one, but in games in which the Sixers lost by seven, plays like those impact the final outcome. On the night, Reed played nine minutes and had a plus/minus of plus-seven.
Sixers Players Praise Reed’s Performance Against Heat
Following Reed’s 16-point, 14-rebound performance against the Miami Heat on March 1, multiple players praised the backup center for what he brings to the court. Especially in light of Joel Embiid’s absence in that game.
“I told P.Reed two weeks ago that every time he gets into the game, he has to be active,” Tyrese Maxey told reporters, per Declan Harris of Sports Illustrated. “He just causes so much havoc. He’s in there, he’s rebounding, he’s blocking shots, and then he’s sprinting the floors, sprinting the picks, he works his tail off, so I’m proud of him.”
James Harden singled out Reed for taking advantage of the opportunity he had for that game.
“He was big time. He got an opportunity, obviously, because Jo’s out, and he brought the energy. He brought the energy, finish, defensively he was great. He was big time for us,” Harden said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Tobias Harris praised Reed for doing what he called “the dirty work.”
“I just think over time just doing all the dirty work. 14 rebounds and getting after it, adding possessions for us, and being sharp in the pick-and-rolls, defensively, getting block shots, and he was just so active. His energy was amazing for us and I just think games like this, you (are) really putting it all together. I just told him he’s got to follow that up tomorrow night and be ready for whatever opportunity he gets,” Harris said.
Reed has been getting the nod as Embiid’s backup since February 10 over Montrezl Harrell, but that could change if and when Dewayne Dedmon makes his debut for the Sixers.
Paul Reed’s Performance This Season
This season, Reed is averaging 3.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, and 0.6 steals in 9.9 minutes a game in 49 games overall.
Since Reed has gotten the nod over Harrell as Embiid’s primary backup on February 10, he’s been averaging 4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, one block, and 0.7 steals a game in 12.2 minutes a game. The Sixers have won six of their last nine games in that stretch.
Again, it could all change if the Sixers want to see what they have in Dedmon, but performances like the one Reed had against a playoff hopeful like the Heat demonstrate the worth he has a backup.
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