The Philadelphia 76ers have been missing a star player on their summer league roster in the form of Tyrese Maxey so they have had to turn to other pieces on their roster in order to get some production.
On Sunday, the Sixers turned to second-year big man Paul Reed who stepped up in a big way. The energetic big out of DePaul scored 27 points with 20 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks in the tough overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a solid performance that the young man can take with him into the future.
What’s more, is that Reed is now only the second player in summer league history to have a 20-20 game. The first to do so was Alan Williams.
Paul Reed has become the second player in Summer League history to notch at least 20+ pts and 20+ rebounds in a single game (Alan Williams was the first).
Reed has 27 PTS / 20 REB
h/t @espn
— Lauren Rosen (@LaurenMRosen) August 16, 2021
“Paul was amazing and he was really gut-wrenched last night when we lost so to bounce back like that, that was awesome,” said summer league coach Brian Adams. “His ability to just do all the little things is huge and the more he just focuses on being a role player, it’s amazing how much his line fills up and all those cool stats come that you don’t usually think come with a role player so it’s awesome to see him do that. I was so happy for him. We just wish we could have gotten the win for him.”
Reed’s energy was infectious and it is the type of performance that can inspire other players on the roster, such as rookie Jaden Springer, for example.
“Paul was hoopin tonight,” awed Springer. “He’s been hoopin this whole summer league, but today he turned it up another notch so it was great watching him.”
To start the game, Reed was the only big man on the floor, making him essentially the center. Rookie Filip Petrusev came off the bench in this one so Reed had more freedom to do what he does best and that is to use his athleticism and continue to make winning plays out on the floor.
“I’m comfortable playing any position, really, but I ain’t gonna lie, I like playing the 5 because I get to bang,” laughed Reed. “At the same time, I like playing the 4, because I know out on the perimeter, dudes can’t really guard me like that.”
With that being said, Reed is not going out there looking for his own. He is a guy who would rather help the team win more than anything so he is more focused on team goals rather than his own individual stuff.
“I don’t really be getting in my bag, for real, because I’ve been trying to play within the offense,” he explained. “I’ve been trying to keep it simple.”
The Sixers will have one final summer league game on Tuesday. It is a consolation game that has yet to be scheduled.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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