PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have two big men they can rely on behind Joel Embiid to give the big fella some rest: Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed. Throughout the first 26 games of the season, the Sixers have flipped between the two of them as they seek the right mix.
On Sunday, the Sixers turned to Harrell, and he had a solid night: nine points and a plus-6 rating in relief of Embiid. Obviously, Embiid didn’t need much rest on a night where he dropped 53 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, but Harrell producing the way he did was important.
Flip-flopping back and forth can be tough on the players. That is where Embiid comes in.
“All the time,” said Embiid when discussing Harrell. “He’s always in my ear about staying aggressive and attacking. I do the same for him. I try to keep him involved. Especially, when he’s not getting minutes. Whether Paul is getting minutes, I try to do the same for both because you never know when they’re gonna be needed. Tonight, Paul Reed wasn’t needed. Some other night, he might be needed. Just try to keep them involved.”
Embiid is normally not the most vocal guy in the world, but the fact he is talking to both Harrell and Reed is a very good sign for Philadelphia.
“It’s been great,” said Harrell. “I just have conversations with him on the side when he comes out the game. Different things he asks me that I see, and then what they’re doing on the defensive end of the floor, so it’s been great. … He’s been one who leads by example.”
The Sixers will need Harrell and Reed to provide productive minutes off the bench behind Embiid, so the big fella being a leader is a good thing.
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