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Some players view their time in the NBA’s G-League as basketball purgatory. Sign that two-way contract and go into mental cruise control until the big club comes calling.
Not Paul Reed. The second-round pick (58th overall) used his time on the Delaware Blue Coats to work on his all-around game, specifically his three-point shooting. Reed admitted his confidence level had been hovering at a “five” prior to the G-League assignment and now it’s all the way up to a “10.”
Reed was named G-League Most Valuable Player and G-League Rookie of the Year on Monday after the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 22.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks in 15 games.
“Paul has proven himself at every level and I expect the NBA to be next,” Sixers president Daryl Morey said. “The G League MVP almost always goes to veteran players with experience as a professional. For him to win in his rookie season shows the incredible NBA potential he has.”
Reed nearly led the Blue Coats to a G-League championship (one win short) and then heard his name called up to the Sixers’ roster on March 14. His playing time has been sparse — eight minutes in two games — but the experience is more about learning the system and staying ready. The 21-year-old worked tirelessly on his three-point shooting down in the G-League bubble, too.
“That was a conscious effort for me to improve it,” Reed said of his three-point shooting. “Before the season, I set goals for myself. One of my goals was to shoot 45-percent.”
He shot 58.8% from the floor and 44.4% from deep for the Blue Coats. That’s pretty darn close to those lofty preseason goals.
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Sixers Being ‘Extremely Cautious’ with Joel Embiid
File this under no surprise. The Sixers are going to be “extremely cautious” with All-Star center Joel Embiid and won’t rush him back too soon. He’s been out since March 12 after suffering a scary knee injury — luckily there was no structural damage — and the team has put no timetable on his return.
Embiid was arguably the leading candidate for both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA MVP prior to going down. The Sixers want Embiid “100% ready to go” for the playoffs, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports! Embiid joins a long list of injured NBA stars, including fellow MVP candidate LeBron James who suffered a high-ankle sprain.
Julius Randle Still Complaining About Calls
The Sixers beat the Knicks in a wild 101-100 overtime game on Sunday night in New York. Julius Randle was brilliant for the Knicks, going off for 24 points and hitting the game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation.
After the game, the Knicks star was in a surly mood as he thought the refs called a ticky-tack foul for pushing Tobias Harris in the back with five left in overtime. Harris received two free throws and sunk them both. Game over.
“The wrong call by the officials,” Randle told reporters. “Not enough contact for them to call the play. After all the fouling and everything that was going on, for them to call that and decide the game is f****** ridiculous. They have to do a better job. It’s too many games like this.”
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