Getty Paul Reed chats with James Harden prior to facing the Lakers during the 2021-22 season.
The Paul Reed Victory Tour is in full swing, contrary to Doc Rivers’ attempts to stop it. Reed was the backup center over DeAndre Jordan in Game 1 where he was +4 in 11 minutes off the bench. He played another 11 minutes in Game 2 and was +8. And Jordan saw zero minutes once again.
Reed seems destined for a much larger role in the postseason, especially in the first round against Toronto. Rivers had cautioned about crowning Reed during a tense back-and-forth with reporters on April 10. After that interesting press conference, coach and player enjoyed a funny “woopty woopty woo” text exchange and ironed everything out. Now the 6-foot-9, 210-pounder out of DePaul appears to be winning favor and earning minutes. It’s about damn time, according to everyone in the City of Brotherly Love.
There is no greater disparity in life than the difference between how Sixers twitter views Paul Reed and how Doc Rivers does.
Reed scored three points and grabbed three boards on Saturday, all while proving to be a tough cover on the offensive glass. Rivers likes what he saw from the second-year big man, although he didn’t want to send too much praise Reed’s way.
“I thought he was good,” Rivers said after Game 1. “He comes with energy. He’s gonna have guys his size this entire series. So, just keep playing hard. That’s all we tell him.”
Here are Paul Reed’s stats during the last 4 games of meaningful playing time (appx 13 MPG)
🔥+23
🔥6.0 NET
🔥98.2 defensive rating
🔥Holding opponents to 51.7% (15/29) from the field, 9% (1/11) from 3
Whether Doc Rivers likes it or not, the Paul Reed Victory Tour upon us
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Reed Getting Extra Shots Up After Shootaround
Reed has been hoping for more minutes in the playoffs, but he knows they are far from given. One way for Reed to raise his stock is by knocking down open shots, something he is committed to doing. He spent extra time in the gym after Monday’s shootaround just working on his free-throw shooting (via Ky Carlin).
Paul Reed with some work after shootaround this morning #Sixers
The 22-year-old power forward has been a force to be reckoned with down the stretch for the Sixers. He’s averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game over his last four contests — yes, that is skewed by the regular-season finale when he scored 25 points in 21 minutes.
Still, you can’t deny that his brand of gritty, smart basketball has been a significant upgrade over Jordan. Reed is +23 in those games with a 98.2 defensive rating. More importantly, the Philly faithful have developed a huge crush on the 2021 NBA G League MVP.
Paul Reed shared his special night with a young fan after logging a career-high 25 points in the regular-season finale.
A man of the people 🥲
Playing the Right Way, Earning Hard Minutes
The Sixers are still trying to figure out how to replace Andre Drummond who left town in the James Harden trade. The two-time All-Star center was a walking double-double off the bench. Drummond’s presence allowed Joel Embiid time to rest.
Now Rivers is flying by the seat of his pants with an inexperienced second-year player (Paul Reed) and a seemingly over-the-hill veteran (DeAndre Jordan). Reed has the higher ceiling, but it’s been a long process getting him up to speed. Until now. That light has finally switched on.
“There were a lot of things we didn’t like what he was doing,” Rivers said. “He’ll tell you that and he’s come around to playing the right way. I swear coaching is hard, guys. And you have to get your guys to play the right way.”