NEW YORK — Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed is getting set to begin his critical third season in the NBA. He was the backup big man during the playoffs, but after Philadelphia signed Montrezl Harrell, Reed could be phased out.
In training camp, the Sixers experimented with the big man playing power forward, but they played him at the 5 in Monday’s preseason-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets. Reed had 10 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
“Just to go out there and dominate,” said Reed. “Grab all the rebounds, go out there and finish plays, and go out there and get my teammates open. Get them good looks.”
Reed defended multiple positions on Monday. Against Nic Claxton, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons, he showed his versatility on that end. That is something that Reed can bring to this team.
“On the defensive end, I feel like I can guard 1 through 5,” he added. “I feel like they can utilize me in any type of way they want to, and I’ll be effective.”
On the offensive end, Reed is still more of a guy who will work around the basket. He shot 3-for-4 on Monday and he hit all four of his foul shots, but the 3-point shot is something he wants to add to his arsenal and eventually use in games.
“I definitely wanna pull it out in a game, but I wanna make sure I’m not one of those bigs that only looks for the 3-point shot,” he explained. “I’m a big guard, for real, but I like getting in the paint, man. I like finishing, I like banging, and that’s where all the rebounds are at, too in the paint. So I don’t wanna be stuck out there on the 3-point line.”
The young big man has also added weight. When Reed first reached the league, Joel Embiid pushed him around in practice. That doesn’t happen anymore, and Reed is more than ready to do the pushing.
“I got to that, for sure,” Reed finished. “I guard Joel and he don’t even be pushing me around. It’s easier to guard him now than it was before, for sure.”
Now, the hope is that Reed will take this progress and earn a permanent spot in the rotation for the future.
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