The Philadelphia 76ers were missing a certain large MVP winner on Wednesday night when they took on the Minnesota Timberwolves to begin a quick two-game road trip. Without Joel Embiid, others had to step up against Minnesota’s two talented bigs: Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Sixers gave an honest effort on Wednesday. Despite the size disadvantage, they actually tied the Timberwolves in rebounds in the 112-99 loss on the road. The Sixers gave a good effort despite what was stacked against them, and it’s mostly due to the effort of Paul Reed.
The big man hopped off the bench and had 10 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Reed gave a terrific effort in 26 minutes for Philadelphia. This is one of those games that shows maybe he deserves to play more.
“I mean, I’ve been doing the same thing I’ve been doing,” Reed told reporters after the loss. “Getting the ball when I get it — I don’t get it often — but when I get it, try to make something happen with it. Not shooting bad shots, being aggressive when I have to, and trying to earn my teammates’ trust out there so that they know when they throw me the ball, I’m gonna do the right thing with it and not go turn it over.”
Coach Nick Nurse was happy with what Reed brought to the table. Nurse has always said he is still learning about this group, and Wednesday was the first time they were without Embiid on the season.
Nurse started Marcus Morris Sr. in place of Embiid, which he explained after the loss. But he liked what Reed brought to the table, which could make him the starting option in the future.
“I think Paul did what he — he was Paul Reed, right?” Nurse told reporters. “He played really hard. It felt like he got a bunch of offensive rebounds. How many did he have? He had six which is a lot. I thought he made some good finishes in there. I thought he had a good game and it was nice to get him more than 10 minutes or 12 minutes. I gave him 26 minutes tonight and he deserves him. I thought he played really hard and fought really good.”
Reed is going to have to continue to earn his teammates’ trust as well as Nurse’s, but the Sixers are continuing to grow and learn more about each other. Reed continuing to make the right decision would help his case.
“I’m gonna either get it to the next action so the team can get a good shot, or I’m gonna be aggressive and attack the rim,” Reed finished. “I work on my finishing almost every day so I’m pretty confident that my shot is gonna go in.”
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