ORLANDO–Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed is known for his energy, his ability to rebound the basketball, and his bull-in-a-China shop mentality of just causing havoc and giving a spark to the team when they need it out on the floor.
However, most recently, he has shown off an ability to find an open spot on the floor on the offensive end. When he is setting screens, he has been able to roll to the basket and finish up and over taller defenders in the paint.
In Sunday’s win over the Orlando Magic, Reed shot 6-for-6 from the floor and had 12 points with 13 rebounds as he was able to make a big impact for the Sixers off the bench.
“It’s something I’ve been working on more lately than I have before,” said Reed. “Now that I’m getting more minutes, it’s easier for me to implement the things I’ve been working on, and I’m starting to see where my spots are at on a court and where I’m gonna get my shots from. So now I just know how to catch it and how to be more efficient when I need to finish.”
Teaching Reed how to screen properly and roll has been something Doc Rivers and the coaching staff have focused on with him. They wanted him to get the nuances down and he has been terrific in that role on the offensive end.
“Teaching him where to pick has been big for us,” said Rivers. “Picking under guys instead of on top of guys. You pick on top, they go under, pick below, they have to go over the top, that allows him to roll, and he’s starting to get that. He has great hands. We have two bigs, Trez (Montrezl Harrell) and Paul Reed, when they roll, it you throw it, they’re catching it. They both have great hands.”
Reed mentioned in the past that he feels like he was rushing his offense and that is something that he has also been focusing on so he can help the Sixers succeed on the offensive end.
“I feel like I’ve been slowing down, being more patient, not forcing that shot,” he explained. “Instead, sometimes passing the ball back out, because that’s a better shot.”
ok Paul Reed pic.twitter.com/HF0N8Gl3kL
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) November 28, 2022
Reed obviously isn’t Joel Embiid, but with the continued work he has put in on the offensive end of the floor, he is going to be able to earn more minutes behind the big fella whenever he does return to the floor.
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